


An Unfortunate Winter

by BlankSpacesOfTime



Category: One Direction
Genre: Abuse, An Unfortunate Summer, Dark, Depressing, Did I mention this is a dark story?, F/M, Forced, Kidnapped, Rape, Sad, Sequel, Sex Slave, Unfortunate, Winter, book two, depressed, suicidal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-10-04 01:54:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 55
Words: 139,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17295467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlankSpacesOfTime/pseuds/BlankSpacesOfTime
Summary: (This is the sequel to An Unfortunate Summer.)*This description will spoil the first book if you haven't read it*What happens after that dark, life-changing  summer? Can Scarlet recover from what was done to her? Will Zayn survive the gunshot wound inflicted by Louis? Will Scarlet's rapists escape the cops? One thing is for certain—after everything that has happened, her life will never be the same.





	1. What Happened After

• Right after Scarlet escaped  
Camp Harmony •

My brief moment of joy at being free was short lived when I realized the problems we still faced. Yes, we managed to escape Harry and the others with our lives, but not all of us were truly safe yet.

My mind could focus on nothing but the bleeding man in my arms as he lay slowly dying. The bullet to his chest seemed to have met its desired target: Zayn's heart, or at least close enough to it to cause Zayn to fall unconscious no matter how hard I tried to keep him awake.

"Please don't leave me." I whispered hopelessly.

My trembling hands pressed into the wound like he had been doing before he fainted, hoping it would help him survive. I didn't know if it was helping anything. My friends were silent, other than Penelope's soft cries from the passenger's seat.

The sirens were nearly on us by now. I could hear them getting closer until we rounded a bend and then there they were. Blinding red and blue lights stopped is on the road, forcing Tabby to pull over. More cop cars and a few fire trucks zoomed past us toward the camp while the others screeched to a halt beside Harry's jeep.

Desperately, I prayed they would get to camp in time. Harry needed to pay for what he'd done.

It was mostly a blur, but I noticed the cops were pointing guns at our car and yelling for us to come out. They were only taking precautions I knew. Tabby and the other girls got out, letting the cops realize we were the ones who needed saving. My door was opened and when the officer saw Zayn in my lap and me half-dressed and all covered in his blood, he began shouting commands at the other officers and the medics who'd thankfully come along.

Zayn was carefully but swiftly moved to a stretcher and wheeled into an ambulance while I was helped out of the jeep. I nearly stumbled to the ground trying to follow Zayn, but a cop held me back.

"No, please let me go with him! I need to. Please, he can't go by himself!" I begged, pulling away.

"We need to ask you some questions about the young men we were tipped off about. You match the description of the victim." He said to me carefully. "Someone called in a confession and told us where he and his friends were located as well as a girl they were abusing. You're the girl are you not?"

I began to cry, trying to get to the ambulance. "Yes I am, but please! Please let me go. I'll answer questions later. I can't leave him by himself!"

The cop, seeming to want to let me go with Zayn, helped me through the chaos, but then I was stopped again by another officer.

"I have to go. Let me go. Please!" I pleaded, struggling in the first cop's arms as I watched the ambulance doors close shut.

"We need to get you out of here." The cop with more authority observed, looking me over sadly. "Officer Brent, take her and her friends and follow the ambulance to the hospital. Get them checked out to make sure they're alright. We can question them after."

Relief flooding me, I let myself be led to one of the cars and Officer Brent helped me into the front seat while my friends were ushered in the back. I think I was in shock the entire ride to the hospital, the fact I was now free not fully registering in my brain. I kept my eyes on the speeding ambulance in front of us, silently praying that Zayn wouldn't die. I hardly noticed the blood that was all over me.

After a painfully long drive through the mountains to the nearest hospital, I had a bad feeling Zayn wasn't going to make it. Before long we were running across the parking lot and into a hospital. I didn't speak a word as I followed the cop through the busy building to a door, expecting to be led to Zayn. But upon walking inside the room, I found nothing but a normal check up room which was empty.

"Where is Zayn?" I demanded, turning to Officer Brent.

"He's going into emergency surgery. I'm sorry miss, but you can't see him right now." He answered gently. "Why don't you all have a seat."

"No. Take me to him." I argued, heading for the door.

"Miss...they won't allow you inside the operating room. You'll have to wait. But I can assure you I'll come get you the first moment they'll let you in." He tried to sound comforting, but I wasn't comforted.

"He saved me." I whispered, tearing up. "He can't die."

"What's your name?" He asked softly.

Looking up at him, my lip trembled. "Scarlet O'Hara."

"Do you want me to contact your family?" He inquired, guiding me over to a chair.

"I...don't know where they are." My voice cracked. "Only Zayn knows."

At that, the officer fell silent, realizing I didn't want to talk about it, about any of it. I was thankful he hadn't asked what had happened to me yet. I didn't ever want to talk about it again. My friends sat in chairs opposite us and remained silent.

A short time later, another officer entered the room. After looking over the four of us, he came up to me.

“I am Detective Grant and I’m here to ask you a few questions about your experience.” He began gently but with authority. 

Remaining silent, I simply stared at him as he continued.

He talked to me with respect and courtesy and asked me questions, but I could only half-listen. I was in a daze. He managed to get me to tell him a short portion of what happened to me, just so he'd know what they were dealing with. When I was asked when the last assault took place, I told him tonight.

“It's highly encouraged that you be examined as soon as possible. You have the right to refuse, but the likelihood of your assailant’s long term prison sentence would be much more concrete with physical evidence.” He said.

Bianca spoke up from across the room. “What, like a ràpe kit?”

“Yes.” The detective nodded.

My stomach turned at the thought. I didn't know what exactly it entailed, but I knew the process was incredibly invasive. I definitely didn't want to go through that, but it would help put Harry in jail…

“I highly encourage you to be examined. It's not pleasant, but the physical evidence that could be obtained from it is invaluable in a trial.” He tried to persuade me.

“I'll do it. If it'll put them in prison.” I whispered.

My friends nodded encouragingly and the detective left to make preparations, saying to not change or use the bathroom or even wash my hands.

It must have been an hour later, but really only felt like ten minutes when he returned with a doctor, a woman thankfully. They took me away and to a different room without windows. The detective left me alone with the doctor and a few nurses.

When the first thing I was told to do was undress over a piece of paper in the middle of the room, I decided to turn my mind off. I desperately didn't want to have to go through this, but I needed to.

As I tried to block everything out except their voices, I took off the maroon blood stained shirt, my ripped panties, my bra, and my shoes. They placed all of my clothing into a bag. The women took swabs of countless places on my body—including all of my private parts. They paid special attention to my private places. They combed through my hair, took samples from under my fingernails, and took pictures of the bruises around my pelvic area and my black eye from Niall.

The whole process took about three hours and by the time they gave me a package of fresh clothes and told me I was done, I was exhausted in every way. They let me take a shower and afterward I was finally in fresh clothes. But I still felt dirty. I went back to the room where my friends were and they were being checked out by a nurse.

When the flow of traffic in and out of the small room had stopped and we were left alone again, I found myself anxiously looking at the clock and fidgeting. Despite being exhausted, I couldn't sleep without knowing how Zayn’s operation was going. Were they finished? Were they still working?

Officer Brent, who had decided to remain with us, was dozing off in his chair and so were my friends. My body wanted me to do the same, but all I wanted to do was find out if Zayn was alright.

Quietly standing to my feet, I tiptoed to the door in the slippers they gave me and slipped out the door, closing it gently. Turning around, I nearly ran into two police officers standing there, having just arrived.

"You must be Scarlet?" One asked gently.

"Yes." I responded, pretending not to look as if I were about to sneak around the hospital. The place had gotten too quiet for my liking. People weren't rushing around anymore. I supposed it was four in the morning though, but still.

"We have news on the four young men who kept you at Camp Harmony." The more superior one spoke softly as if I would break into pieces if he spoke normally.

I sucked in a breath, noticing the grave look on both their faces. Whatever they had to say couldn't be good I thought. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for their news as I tried not to let them see my trembling.

"The one who called in and confessed surrendered peacefully, but it wasn't quite as easy with the rest. It was a long night chasing them and a couple of my men were injured. We nearly lost them several times in the woods, but we managed to catch all four of them. They're being held in the county jail at the present moment." He said to me.

My chest tightened. My lungs felt void of air as the news sunk in. Lips shaking, I whimpered and choked on a sob, staring at both of them in a stupor.

They were caught.

They were in jail.

They couldn't hurt me anymore.

I was safe and I was free.

Covering my mouth with my hands, I couldn't help dropping to the floor when my legs gave out, sobbing in relief. I didn't have to be afraid anymore. They couldn't hurt me or damage my mind from behind those metal bars. One cop kneeled beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder, which made me flinch out of instinct. But when I looked up at him, he looked at me with sympathy and I couldn't stop myself from throwing my arms around him, crying into his shoulder.

"It's alright now. You’re safe." He assured me, allowing me to hold onto him longer than he probably would have liked.

They asked me how they could contact my parents, but I told them only Zayn knew where they were. They had tried their cell phones, but they didn't pick up. They told me I would need to be questioned further, but it could wait until I was more ready to talk, as they could clearly see I was in no position to explain everything that had happened to me over the past two months.

When they left me alone again, after telling me to go back in the room, I didn't obey them and headed down the halls, in search of Zayn. Avoiding the notice of the nurses, I managed to find the area where I remembered them taking Zayn. Looking through a glass window into what looked like an operating room, I tried to calm myself at the sight of all the tools and equipment. Zayn wasn't there so I moved on. As I passed a door, I glanced at the sign posted on it and froze. The word "Morgue" stared back at me.

No, he couldn't be in there.

He had to be alive. Why hadn't anyone come and told me how the operation had gone? Why hadn't they come to tell me how he was doing? Could it be because he...

No. I refused to believe it.

Coming to the end of the hall, I saw an open door. Cautiously stepping up to it, I peered around the doorframe. Someone lay in the hospital bed and once I caught sight of the face, my eyes widened.

Zayn was there, alive.

My hand went to my heart and I quietly stepped into the room, noticing the tubes and needles sticking out of him everywhere and the large white bandage where the bullet had entered his chest. He was sleeping peacefully, an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. His normally vibrant happy eyes were weary and filled with exhaustion, but he was alive.

Nearing the side of the bed, I tenderly touched his arm, tracing the many tattoos there. As I found comfort in touching his tanned skin, I whispered softly, "We're safe, Zayn. You did it. We're all safe and sound."

When I glanced up at his handsome face, I was surprised to see his eyes open and looking at me. My voice must have woken him up. Moving closer, I gave him a sad smile. "We're both safe now."

He held no expression; he simply looked at me for a moment, seemingly as if to comfort himself with my presence. And then he closed them again, falling into unconsciousness once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • Author's Note •
> 
> \- This book is the sequel to “An Unfortunate Summer.” If you haven't read that book first, please do so before continuing or you will be entirely confused.
> 
> \- WARNING: This book includes *mature* themes. Depression, suicidal thoughts, sexual harassment/abuse, language, and violence will be included. If you are in any way offended or triggered by any of the above, please don't continue. I don't support or glorify ràpe at all and I'm definitely not trying to romanticize it, because that would be disgusting.
> 
> \- This book will be dark like the last one (maybe even more dark), so prepare yourselves.
> 
> \- I use the appearance of the boys of One Direction as my main characters. Only their appearances. The real boys are actually angels and would never act like they do in these books.
> 
> \- This story is purely my work and my work only, from my imagination. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE OKAY. Or I will hunt you down. Seriously, do not copy my work.
> 
> \- Feel free to comment on the chapters, I really love reading your thoughts, opinions, emotions, and reactions!


	2. A Family Reunion

The moment Zayn's eyes opened for the first time since the day we escaped six days ago, I was sitting beside him, my head resting on the side of his hospital bed and my arms under my head. He made a small sound and I jerked upward, leaning in close.

"Zayn, you're awake!" I exclaimed, touching his sharp jawline gently. "I was beginning to think you'd never wake up."

"Yur prents..." He mumbled with great effort.

"What?" I asked, listening closely. When he tried again and I still couldn't understand, I stood and rushed to a table, grabbing a nurse's tablet and pen. "Here, can you write it?"

I placed the pen in his hand and moved the tablet where he could reach. His fingers carefully maneuvered the pen in small movements, writing something down. When he had finished and I looked at the paper, I saw an address and the words, "your parents," scribbled underneath.

"My parents are here?" I breathed, studying the address. No one was able to find them or get a hold of them this whole time. Zayn had hidden them well.

He slightly nodded and rasped quietly, "My sister."

"Your sister's there too?" I inquired, placing the tablet aside and holding his hand instead.

He nodded again.

"I'll bring her here, okay?" I whispered to him.

"Mm." He hummed in agreement and began dozing off again just before someone entered the room.

"Did he wake up?" The nurse asked me.

"Yes. Briefly." I smiled, standing to my feet.

"That's good news. He should be regaining strength faster now. He had a tough time pulling through the first couple of days. He lost a significant amount of blood." She said.

"I have to go for a little while, but I'll be right back. If he wakes up again just tell him I've gone to get my parents." I told her, grabbing my phone and heading for the door.

"Take your time sweetie. You've hardly been out of this room for more than an hour the past week." She smiled at me and began checking Zayn's tubes and such.

Taking one last look at Zayn before leaving, I smiled again. The feeling of being safe was so comforting and welcome. The moment I walked through the door, I glanced to the side only to find a dark shadow standing there. At the corner of my eye, that shadow looked an awful lot like Harry.

Whirling around to face the person, I clutched my heart and breathed a slow sigh of relief when it was only a police officer with curly hair.

"Scarlet O'Hara? We have more questions for you if you have a moment." He spoke up, his hands resting on his belt.

"Um...well." I mumbled, disliking the fact that all the cops wanted was for me to tell them every single detail of what happened. I hated recalling it. "I actually have something I need help with."

"Oh? And what's that?" He inquired curiously.

"Zayn woke up briefly a minute ago and told me where to find my parents. Could someone take me to find them?" I asked seriously, noticing a few more cops walk up as I handed the address over.

"Of course. Officer Brent and Kyle. Would you check this address out?" He gave the paper to them.

"Can't I go too?" I asked him, annoyed.

"I'm afraid it would be better if you didn't. We don't know where the address will lead." He shrugged in sympathy.

"But, Zayn gave it to me." I explained.

"We're only taking precautions. Now, while they're gone, how about we go have a chat? There's more I wanted to ask you about the Styles boy." He placed an arm around my shoulders and tried leading me across the floor to a waiting room, but I stepped away from him.

"I don't want to talk about Harry." I refused carefully, trying to hide the shake in my voice. Simply saying his name brought back horrible memories and feelings I never wanted to feel again.

The man sighed, looking apologetic. "I realize what you went through was very traumatic and I hate to force you to recall it, but it will help us to lock him away for a very long time if we have more information on him."

Turning my gaze to the floor, I crossed my arms. I didn't want to talk about it anymore. Just thinking of the boys made me feel a panic attack coming on. I'd already told the police the basics of what happened; what more could they want to know?

"How long will they be in for with the information you have now?" I asked him quietly.

"Well, there's no certain number at the moment, but I'd say around fifteen to twenty years." He guessed gently.

Thinking a moment, I knew if that were the case then they'd be out soon enough and what if they decided to come find me? I couldn't have that happen. They needed to stay in prison much longer than that...well maybe not Niall.

"I guess I can answer a few more questions..." I whispered dismally.

"Only what you can handle, but honestly, we need to hear as much as you know." He told me seriously. "We still need your official statement, so come into the police department as soon as you're able."

We entered the waiting room and he shut the door so we were alone, but the windows still allowed me to see the nurses walking around.

We spent a long time talking; him asking me questions mostly about Harry. I told him what I knew about Harry's gang, which really wasn't much. I guessed he and the other three were the only ones a part of it, but I didn't know for sure. I told him that Harry's "job" was basically selling girls for money; how Harry had claimed a girl every summer and forced them to please him and his friends. And also how he drove one of them to her death. I told him how cruel Louis was to me and how he didn't really change the entire summer. He sort of tried to be kinder, but in the end, he was still cruel and abusive.

I told him Harry liked to claim me as his own, but still "shared" me with his friends. Harry was controlling and selfish. I realized at the end there, something in him snapped into place and he let me go. I told the police officer that.

He asked me about the very first time it happened. That was probably the most difficult to talk about. It hadn't really been my fault, but I should have known better than to go off alone with a stranger. Then he wouldn't have been able to get me into his cabin so that he could...

Maybe it was my fault...

Some time later, there was a loud knock on the door and I jumped, startled. The officer touched my shoulder to reassure me that it was alright. I looked away, ashamed.

"Oh, look." He glanced up at the windows.

Turning, I saw both my parents looking through the windows as an officer opened the door and allowed them to enter. I jumped up from my chair and rushed to meet them, flinging my arms around my dad as he came into the room.

"Dad..." I gasped out, struggling not to cry. He brought an aura of protection with him and I was so relieved to see him again, I didn't know how to react.

"Scar!" Young Titus squealed happily and grabbed me around the hips because he was so short.

I wrapped an arm around him too and then my mom joined in.

"Princess." My dad choked emotionally, holding my head tenderly while he embraced me. "My little girl." His voice broke at the end and his breath wavered.

He knew.

He knew now what I'd gone through the entire summer. The policemen must have informed them of everything on the way here. I was utterly ashamed, but so greatly relieved at the same time. He'd never let me out of his sight again, which I didn't mind at all. I loved my dad.

"Scarlet, I don't know how to comfort you, if I can at all." My mom began weeping on the spot. Because she was crying, I wanted to cry. 

My dad pulled away and held my face in his hands, looking at me and studying all my features. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry, that I'd stay strong for you. But I just..." His voice cracked and his eyes grew wet. My dad wasn't normally emotional and I'd never seen him cry before. "I can't. It hurts me so much to know that you...that my little girl..."

He couldn't finish his sentence and I simply embraced him again, sobbing along with him. I was just so happy to see him and so, so relieved. I couldn't possibly hug him any tighter as my tears soaked into his jacket.

The officers had left us alone thankfully so our little family could reunite in peace. We were together once again—something I was sure would never happen again just a few short days ago.

"Where were you?" I asked at last, stepping away and drying my eyes with my sleeve.

"Well, the young man, Zayn, informed us that you were in danger and so were we. He brought us to an old apartment building and said he'd bring you there soon. We were told to stay there until he came with you, but he never did and we didn't know what to do because our phones were taken away for safety and they wouldn't let us leave until Zayn said it was safe to do so." My dad explained, holding onto his wife's hand while she tried to calm herself down.

"Do you know where Zayn is?" My mom asked me.

Titus clung to my leg, not understanding what exactly happened, but he knew that something bad had happened to me. His big round eyes stared up at me in concern so I sat down in a chair and set him on my lap. "He was...shot, but he's okay now. He's recovering in one of the rooms over there."

They glanced back to where I was pointing. "Shot?!" My mom gasped in horror.

"Yeah..." I turned my attention to Titus as he laid his head against my shoulder and stayed quiet. I patted his rough curly black hair comfortingly. His little hands played with my hair and he sighed sadly, as if grieving for me.

"Are you okay? Are you injured?" Dad asked me, sitting in a chair across from me as mom did the same.

"No. I don't have any injuries. Serious ones anyway." I assured them, remembering my black eye and few bruises from Harry's roughness.

"Have they given you an inspection?" Mom asked.

"Yes...." I gulped sadly. "I haven't heard anything though and I don't want to. I don't want to know the damage that may have been done."

My parents fell silent, unsure of what to do. This was new and horrible for all of us. I wished I was Titus, so I wouldn't know what had really been done. I envied his innocence. I had none anymore.

"Have you gone home?" Dad inquired.

"No. I've just been staying here so I can be close to Zayn. He...saved us all." I explained slowly. "I owe him a lot."

"We all do. I must thank him soon for saving you." He said quietly.

We spent a little more time in the waiting room just as a family. I was so grateful to be with them again, without Harry's constant shadow beside me; although I still felt like I was being watched every second. It still felt like he was behind me, watching my every move.

After a while my parents tried to see Zayn, but he was unconscious again when we went into his room. There was also a girl in there I'd never met and then I realized it must be his sister. It was amazing how much they resembled each other. She had the same dark hair and dark eyebrows.

"Hey there." I said to her gently while my parents stood behind me.

She looked up quickly. "Are you, Scarlet?"

"I am." I gave her a tired smile.

"I'm Waliyha, Zayn's sister." She introduced herself, standing up from the chair she was sitting in. It was strange hearing her British accent, just like her brother's. I kept forgetting they weren't from America.

"I kind of guessed." I replied, not knowing what to say next.

"I didn't realize he'd been shot." She gestured to Zayn. "What happened?"

"Uh...I didn't see it happen, but one of them shot him while he was trying to get my friends and I in the jeep."

"Who did it?" She pressed, crossing her arms.

"Uh...Louis." I whispered the name, a shiver going up my spine. "You know him?"

Her face turned cold and she sighed deeply. "I've never met him, but I know who he is. You know, Zayn used to hang with-"

"Shh." I shushed her quickly. "I don't want anyone to know. He's not that person anymore."

"Oh...right." She lowered her voice, glancing at the door. Thankfully the nurses had left and my family had stepped out the door.

"You don't seem very surprised at all this..." I commented hesitantly.

She nodded, reaching up to fix the bun on top of her head. "This is how it's been our whole lives. It's his own fault honestly for getting tangled up in the gang life in the first place. Now it's just us two and we're always having to keep a low profile."

"Just you two?" I questioned cautiously.

"Yeah...our parents and my other sisters are gone." She shrugged, but I knew it hurt to say it from the way she looked away and wandered back to Zayn. She touched his arm softly. "At least he saved you. You're the first to leave that camp safely."

"But...Harry told me he always let the girls go afterward." I said, frowning.

"Of course he said that. He's a selfish liar. Zayn told me Harry always sold them after the summer was over, so they wouldn't tattle on him. Except the one summer where the girl threw herself off a cliff." Waliyha said sadly, but as if it was a normal thing to say. I didn't like how she seemed indifferent, even though she probably wasn't.

My blood boiled at the realization that Harry had lied to me about what happened to the girls after summer. That selfish bàstard. But what difference would it have made if I had known?

"What will you do now? Harry and the others are locked away so you're safe." I asked her, wanting to turn the conversation away from the boys.

"I'm never safe. There are others out there you know. Enemies of Zayn, because you know, he doesn't want anything to do with that life anymore. I'll have to lay low for a while, which means no university unfortunately." She said in disappointment.

"What do you think Zayn will do?" I asked her, worried that he'd leave my area.

"No idea." She answered simply.

My parents came back in then, wanting us to go home, which I didn't want to do. Waliyha assured me that she'd be with Zayn and so he wouldn't be alone. Reluctantly, I agreed to go home.


	3. Strong

That first night back in my home and my own room was very strange. I didn't feel at home and being alone was terrifying. My room was exactly as I had left it. The soft purple theme seemed so innocent now as if I had decorated it years ago, when I'd really only remodeled last year. I felt tainted and damaged and like I didn't belong here.

I hadn't even unpacked my things yet. When I had opened one of the suitcases, I caught sight of the several sets of lingerie Harry had bought me and the memories of him forcing me to wear them for him caused me to freak out and I slammed it shut.

Now I was in my bed, huddled under the covers crying myself to sleep, but I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I'd see one of their faces and snap my eyes open, afraid of dreaming about them.

At the hospital it hadn't been as bad because I'd been beside Zayn and the hospital was full of nurses and there were always noises. But here in my room it was quiet and I was alone, my family asleep down the hall.

I kept my lamp on and tried my hardest to empty my mind so I could sleep because I was exhausted. In the end, I managed to fall asleep late in the night, dried tears on my cheeks and my hands clutching the bed sheets to my chest even though it was very warm in my room.

•••

I was awakened by my phone going off on the bedside table. The sun was seeping through the curtains and my eyes felt puffy and swollen. Hearing my phone was strange after having no signal all through summer. I reached for it and answered the call groggily.

"Hello?"

"Scarlet O'Hara?" A deep male voice said.

"Yes." I responded quietly, immediately thinking it could be one of the boys.

"This is Doctor Fredrick and I'm calling to inform you that Zayn Malik is awake and asking for you. He's doing much better today."

I quickly sat up and rubbed my eyes. "Really? Oh. I'll be over as soon as I can."

Glancing at my alarm clock, it read 11:35. I'd slept in so late! I climbed out of bed and removed yesterday's clothes that I'd slept in and shuffled through my dresser drawers for something new to wear. I still didn't want to touch my camp clothes. I found some regular underwear and a long blouse that I could wear leggings under. After dressing myself and slipping on some grey booties, I washed my face and headed downstairs.

Since it was Sunday, my parents and Titus were lounging in the living room and looked up when I came in.

"There's some breakfast in the kitchen, sweetie." Mom said, standing up and coming over to me, embracing me in a hug. She touched me as if I would break into pieces at any moment. "We thought we'd let you sleep in this morning."

"Thank you...I really needed that." I said genuinely. "I'm actually going to the hospital to see Zayn. He's awake."

"Want us to come?" Mom asked hopefully. She obviously didn't want to let me out of her sight.

"Um... Well actually I was wanting to talk to him alone if-"

"We can talk to him later, hun. I think Scarlet needs some time with him." Dad offered, giving me a knowing smile, but I could still see the pain in his eyes when he looked at me.

I mouthed "thank you" to him.

"Well...if you're sure." Mom let go of me and then watched me head to the kitchen with sad eyes. None of us were happy. Yes, we were happy that everyone was safe now, but I could feel the sad mood and it was worse whenever my parents looked at me. The looks they gave me just made me want to start crying because it only reminded me of what happened.

In the kitchen I found some scrambled eggs and bacon on a plate, ready to heat up. But just the sight of it made me feel like puking, so I just grabbed a few granola bars and left.

Before long I was on my way to the hospital, having taken my mom's car. It was totally strange to be driving again, especially since I had only gotten my license in April, but I managed just fine.

Once in the hospital, I hurried through it and up the elevator to Zayn's floor and then rushed to his room. Waliyha wasn't inside, but Zayn was propped up in his bed staring at the ceiling. 

"Zayn?" I spoke quietly.

Immediately he turned his head, seeing me and then smiling weakly. "Scarlet."

Nearing the bed, I saw that some of the tubes were gone and there were fresh bandages around his chest. His normally perfectly styled hair was kinked and messy, but still he managed to look incredibly attractive. "The second I leave, you decide to wake up."

"I was wondering where you were. You were here the whole time until today." He said lazily, probably under medication.

"You knew I was here?" I inquired.

"Course. You kept me safe." He grinned, moving his hand slightly so his fingers touched my hand.

"No, you kept me safe." I murmured, looking down at our hands. "We're all safe now thanks to you. The boys are locked away and will be for a long time."

"Good." Zayn frowned. "Where are your friends?"

"They had to go home the day after we escaped. They wanted to stay with me but their families insisted they go home." I shrugged, missing them. I wouldn't get to see them very often because they all lived so far away. Tabby lived in South Dakota, Penelope lived in Washington, and Bianca lived in Idaho.

"Are you alright?" Zayn broke into my thoughts.

Swallowing hard, I crossed my arms and shifted on my feet. "It'll take time."

"I'm here for you. I wasn't planning on getting you away from them and then just leaving. I'm here if you need me." He assured me seriously.

"I need you." I admitted softly, a little ashamed. "Last night was awful. You weren't near me and I didn't feel safe."

His eyes wrinkled in concern. "But you are safe. They can't hurt you anymore."

"I know, but it doesn't feel like it. I just...I see them everywhere. I hear their voices in my head and when somebody touches me, I instantly think it's one of them." I told him miserably. "It's like, I escaped them, but I didn't really, because they're still controlling me and making me afraid."

"Shh, it's alright Scarlet." Zayn comforted me, reaching for my hand.

I hadn't realized that I was close to tears until he began to look worried. I let him hold my hand and he rubbed the back of it with his thumb.

"And my parents can't help because they just treat me like I'm breakable." I confessed, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed. "They have no idea what to do or how they should act around me. They're horrified and heartbroken at what those boys did to me, but they just don't know what to do."

"They'll learn. You just have to be brave, like you always are. They'll understand what you need in time and you'll be okay." He told me seriously.

"But I don't know what I need." I cried, bending my head down and resting my forehead against our locked hands. "I'm lost. They've ruined me and I hate myself."

"No, no." He comforted, gently stroking my head. "Please don't think like that. You can't let them win. Stay strong and confident and love yourself. You're still pure at heart."

"I can't..." I sobbed, squeezing my eyes closed. "I'm not pure. They took my innocence. The ripped it from me. How can I ever love another? Or even let another love me?"

Zayn stopped moving his hand through my hair, pausing a moment. "I know you can love another. You proved it yourself."

"What?" I looked up at him, regretting letting myself start to cry, because now I couldn't stop. I was tired of crying.

"At the end there, you proved to everyone that you still have love in your heart. You were willing to give yourself up to Harry's mercy so the rest of us could go free. And you proved you still care...when you kissed me." His voice went softer at the end as he shyly looked down.

Licking my lips, I squeezed his hand. "I wasn't sure if you'd remember."

"I remember. I'll never forget it." He said to me.

"Mr. Malik? It's time for some more meds." A nurse came into the room then, disrupting the mood and causing me to shut down again.

I quickly stood and wiped my eyes as the woman began rifling through bottles and objects on the table. Zayn continued looking at me, not like he thought I was breakable. He looked at me like he thought I was strong.


	4. They're Everywhere

A few short days later I'd given the police my official statement so then they could take it to court. My friends also gave their statements before they left, which I'm sure helped. The police spoke with Zayn and didn't seem to suspect his past association with the boys oddly enough; they only wanted to know what he knew and how he knew to help me. He made some things up and was very convincing.

I refused to be present during the trial. I was surprised there was even one to begin with. The boys were without a doubt guilty and everyone knew it. I never wanted to see their faces again, which is why I didn't want to be there. I didn't mind Niall because he had never truly hurt me, but my mind associated him with the boys and at this point, I didn't need any more triggers. I wished that Niall hadn't been caught, but it was his own choice. He felt he needed to face the consequences for his actions, which was noble of him.

The trial was short, only a day or two so they could cover everything I'd told them about Harry, as well as the things Niall confessed. The other three wouldn't give them any other information.

It was all over the news I soon learned while sitting beside Zayn's hospital bed. The TV was switched on at a low volume while Zayn was eating his lunch. Our conversation took a pause when I happened to glance up at the screen. My throat turned dry. A reporter standing in front of the foreboding courthouse was narrating the scene unfolding behind her:

"The accused gang members Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne led by their leader Harry Styles are being escorted out of the courthouse and will be transferred to the California state prison after being found guilty of serial ràpe and sex trafficking."

A cold chill ran up my spine the moment I caught sight of the four boys walking down the courthouse steps behind the reporter. Niall looked lost and Liam walked with his head high. Harry's eyes were on the ground, his curls hiding his expression, while Louis scowled at everyone who dared to look his way. Seeing their faces, even through a screen, paralyzed me.

"It's been confirmed that though some believe both Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles may be psychotic at some level, they've proved to be of sound mind. The court of law has sentenced Styles, Tomlinson, and Payne to thirty-five years and Horan to thirty. As you can see, there's a mob of people out here demanding a life sentence for all four of them to avenge their latest victim, an eighteen year old girl, who was the first to succeed in escaping them, but-"

I turned my head to see that Zayn had turned the television off. He was watching me carefully. "How about we not focus on that for a while."

"They got thirty-five years." I noted quietly, picking at my nails.

"They should have gotten life." Zayn grumbled, pushing away his lunch.

"What happens when they're let out again? Would they come after me?" I asked, a little concerned.

"You'll be like fifty when they get out and so will they. I doubt they'd want to find you after all that time." He tried to comfort me.

"Ah, there you are Miss O'Hara!" A nurse walked into the room then, seeing me and smiling warmly. "I've just come to let you know, it's time for your follow up exam. It's been a little over a week and we shouldn't wait any longer. If there are any new problems, we need to act on them right away."

I froze, not wanting them to probe me like an animal and check places I didn't want to be checked like the first time. She noticed my hesitation and worried look so she softened her voice. "I promise it won't take very long and you'll be relieved when it's over so you won't have to think about it anymore. I've set up an appointment with Doctor Taylor for three o'clock."

"But-"

"I'm sorry dear. It has to be done, for your own good." She cut me off quickly, a sympathetic look on her face. She then left the room.

I leaned back in my chair, staring across the room at a trash can. Feeling Zayn's hand cover my own, I glanced his way, a small twinge of anxiety rising at the contact. I quickly calmed myself, reminding myself that it was only Zayn touching me, not those monsters who were so cruel to me.

"Don't worry about it." He told me softly. "Just come right back here when they're done and I'll get your mind off everything, okay?"

My lip trembling, I looked down and nodded. "Okay."

•••

This exam wasn't as awkward as the first one by far, but it was still uncomfortable. I wanted to forget about it as soon as possible so I tried to block everything out as it happened. That would be the last time I ever let someone touch my private areas for a long, long time. It only brought back nightmarish memories. At last it ended and I was free to go, leaving her with all of the samples she'd collected.

Zayn tried his best to distract me afterward by playing a game of chess, but it wasn't easy forgetting about the stupid exam. My parents came by for a while, talking with Zayn. They seemed to like him, and not just for saving us all. They appreciated how he was helping me through this. I felt better when I was with him. When I was at home, I was more inclined to find myself alone and unwillingly think back on the awful summer. At home I was in danger of becoming depressed, but even at the hospital, depression was slowly creeping up on me. I kept telling myself to stay strong.

Late that evening once we were alone again after Zayn's sister had visited for a while, we were interrupted once again by Doctor Taylor. My face flushed and I looked at the ground awkwardly. She pushed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear before clearing her throat.

"Miss O'Hara may I have a word?" She requested, holding a clipboard in her hands.

"Uh...I guess." I grumbled reluctantly. I didn't look at Zayn because I knew that he knew what that exam had included and it was so awkward to think about.

Standing to my feet, I shuffled slowly out of the room behind her and she stopped outside the door. She sighed and looked down at her clipboard, reading words I couldn't read upside down.

"The good news is that you haven't contracted any diseases or infections. Your overall health is stronger than expected, though you seem to be lacking some nutrients, which is easily rectified." She smiled a little and then looked back down at the papers.

"Great. So I never have to think about it again." I tried to end the conversation, looking sideways and backing toward Zayn's door.

"There is something else I need to tell you though. It's a bit more sensitive."

Folding my arms, I waited expectantly, knowing this was probably going to get awkward or something. Maybe she was going to make me go back to the examination room and retake the exam because she messed it up.

My thoughts were cut off when she spoke delicately. "I don't know how to phrase this to someone with your recent hardships, so I'm just going to say it." Her voice dropped and she tilted her head in a sympathetic way. "You're with child, Miss O'Hara."


	5. Something to Remember Them By

"No. No, you have to be mistaken." I blurted to the doctor, my body immediately clenching up in dread. My hand flew to my stomach and my muscles instinctually tensed.

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but you are carrying a baby." She said again, lowering her clipboard and reaching out to touch my arm.

I jerked away from her outstretched hand. "No. You're wrong. You're lying!"

"Miss-"

"No! This can't be true! This can't be happening to me!" I yelled, my voice cracking in despair.

The doctor wasn't sure how to respond or what to do, so she stood there looking on sadly. My eyes watered and my hands began shaking uncontrollably as I clenched them together. I felt short of breath and my mind grew fuzzy.

"I can't do this. I don't want this. How could they do this to me?" I shouted angrily.

"I'm going to call your parents, alright? They'll come and help-"

I couldn't handle it. Turning, I ran away from her and away from Zayn to be alone; where I could cry and yell and scream all I wanted without everyone watching me with those horrid looks of pity and trying to tell me it would be alright; that it would just take time. It would never be alright now.

Now I'd have a constant reminder of what they did. What kind of life could this baby have, being forced to live with the knowledge that his or her father ràped his mother and that's the only reason he's alive?

Bursting out of the hospital, I ran across the street to the park and since it was late evening, I easily found a place to be alone. Collapsing onto the grass beside a tree, I bent forward and sobbed in pain. It hurt so much.

"Why?" I croaked out, clutching my stomach and squeezing my eyes shut. "Why?!" I screamed louder.

What could I do? There was nothing I could do. There was no way out of this one; no way to escape. This baby was coming whether I liked it or not—and killing it was definitely not an option for me. I wasn't about to murder an unborn child, no matter who its father was or how it came to be. I could never be that selfish.

I let out another cry of despair, the pain becoming too great. Those boys let me go, but they were still with me in their own way. This child would be a reminder forever.

"I can't live like this. How can I?" I gasped out, struggling for breath. But I knew I'd have to live like this, because ending my life would mean ending the baby’s life as well.

I didn't hate this child. I hated the man who made it. And who made it anyway? Who's fault was it that I was now carrying an unborn baby boy or girl?

I remembered the last time I had been ràped. Harry had done it that last night and remembrance suddenly struck me like a brick wall. He hadn't been wearing protection that time. He was so desperate to do it to me that he had been careless. How could he? Didn't he realize...?

My tears seemed unending as I sat their crouched under the tree, crying miserably. And it seemed to me that hours had past before someone came to find me, but really barely any time had passed at all. I sensed a presence crouch down beside me and I jumped back in fear, stumbling into the tree as my body shook. Terror ripped through me before I realized I wasn't in any danger.

I hadn't realized what a mess I'd become until my father was kneeling there looking at me in worry. He didn't say anything, he just scooted closer and held his arms out.

Quickly, I melted into his capable arms and wept on his shoulder, shaking and gasping uncontrollably. He held me like I needed him to. He didn't say how sorry he was for me or how he wished he could help. He simply held me tightly and cried along with me, cradling my head in his hands. And we stayed like that for a long time.

•••

I doubted I could get used to the idea of being pregnant. It was so foreign and wouldn't have been on my list of to-do’s for another several years. I mean, I guess it was a likely thing to happen with how many times they took me and how careless they often were, but it was still so unexpected. I supposed I had seen the signs. I'd been a little nauseous in the morning the past few days and emotional.

When I talked to Zayn, he didn't freak out completely because the doctors had told him, so he was prepared to respond in an appropriate manner that wouldn't upset me more. But I could tell how upset he was for me anyway. As soon as I reached him, he took my hand, pulling me closer. I thought I was all out of tears, but when another slipped down my cheek, I wiped it away in frustration.

"Don't be afraid to cry." He whispered, touching my arm and looking up at me. "You've been so strong, you're allowed to cry."

"I don't...I don't know what to do." I whimpered. "I'm so scared and unprepared for this."

"Take it day by day alright? Don't think about the future because it's daunting. Just think about today. You're okay right now. You're with me." He comforted me gently.

Studying the bandage on his chest, I shook my head. "Will you go?"

"What?"

"Will you leave me when you're better?" I asked quietly.

"No. Of course not. I'm not going anywhere; I told you that." He assured me, holding onto me tighter when I tried to move away.

"You help me. I feel like I can survive with you." I told him honestly.

"I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I couldn't save you sooner." He said softly, his caramel eyes dropping to his lap.

"You saved me. That's all that matters." I sighed shakily.

“You saved yourself, I just helped you.” He smiled.

Kneeling on the ground and holding his hand, I traced his wrist tattoos slowly.

Zayn's gaze flicked to my hands. He looked troubled and tired. Everyone was. When would the unwanted surprises end? At least I didn't have to worry about the boys ever coming after me again.

•••

Over the next few weeks, Zayn's health improved more and more and my time at home became more and more unbearable. I loved my family to death, but it was so difficult being treated like I was breakable, like anything said the wrong way would break me.

My parents always spoke with such delicacy toward me and whenever they did it just made me want to react like I was in pain and hurting. I was trying to get over what happened and accept my new situation but it was near impossible when they would act like I would burst into tears if they said the wrong thing. Why couldn't they just treat me like normal? I could ignore and forget everything so much easier that way.

I spent a lot of time in my room, though nights were always awful. The luggage from camp I decided to throw out, besides a few articles of clothing I loved and couldn't part with. The lingerie went straight into the fireplace downstairs. I would never be forced to where them for those boys ever again. It felt good to burn them.

I felt a little lost finally being home and everything being back to "normal." I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, or if I wanted to do anything at all besides sit in my room and cry every day.

I didn't have many friends at home, so I didn't see people other than Zayn and my family. My camp friends lived so far away so I couldn't see them. They texted me, but it wasn't the same. My best friend Elsie who lived nearby came to visit me one day. She knew what had happened.

She came into my house and hugged me tightly, not letting go for a solid minute and when she pulled away she had tears in her eyes. She tried her best to stay strong, but I knew the gravity of it all. It was heavy. Who could respond to something like this without breaking too? Her visit was nice. It felt like old times, but I somehow felt distanced from the life I had before the summer. It wasn't the same.

It was like everything had changed and it would never go back to the way it was. I was confused and scared and angry.

Finally, some time later Zayn was released from the hospital. He still had a bandage on his chest and stitches, but he was well enough to get around okay. I drove him home to my house. My parents offered to let him stay for a while.

"So this is your house then?" Zayn mused, stepping out of my dad's car as I walked around to his side.

"Yep." I nodded, guiding him along the path that led to the porch steps.

"It's so big and fancy." He grinned, walking slowly.

"Ah, yeah I guess." I shrugged.

We walked up the steps and the front door opened, revealing my mother. She smoothed her skirt and smiled kindly. "Hello, Zayn. Welcome to our home. We've made up a room for you upstairs."

"Thank you ma'am. I really appreciate your hospitality." He nodded to her politely and followed me inside.

"Do you need anything Scarlet?" Mom asked me quietly.

"I think I'm good, thanks." I gave her a smile and gestured for Zayn to follow me up the stairs.

"I can get his bags." My dad offered, walking out the door. The camp directors had recovered Zayn's belongings at the camp and brought them to us.

Stepping up close to Zayn, I took his arm as he walked slowly up the stairs. He looked fine, but I could tell moving around this much was a challenge for him, though he didn't want to show it. When we had finally reached the guest bedroom beside Titus's room, he was out of breath.

"Okay, maybe we should sit down for a while." I suggested, pointing to an armchair by the bed.

"If you want to." He replied, grinning at me before he took a seat in the chair and held his breath for a moment, closing his eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, sitting on the bed.

"Yep." He smiled with clenched teeth as he drummed his fingers on the armrest. "I should be asking you that question, but I know how much you hate being asked that, so I won't."

"Thank you." I sighed. "The answer's always the same anyway."

Touching my fingers to my stomach absentmindedly, I stared off into space for a moment. When I glanced back at Zayn, he was looking at my hand on my stomach and so I quickly placed it on my leg instead.

He sighed deeply. "I wish I could do something to help you; to make you happy again." 

"You can help me just by sitting there. Don't worry about me, alright? I can't be happy right now, but I will be happy again someday." I assured him seriously.

"Have you um...have you thought about seeing someone? To you know...talk about it?" He asked softly, as if he was afraid of pushing the wrong button.

"I don't ever want to talk about it again, so no." I shook my head adamantly.

"Just think about it." He suggested.

"My parents try to get me to talk, but I always shut them down right away. They think they can help me, but they can't. Talking about it only brings to the surface everything I want to forget. Like the way it felt to be manhandled by them...when they pushed me around or held me down when they..." My voice shook slightly and I looked down at my hands, trying to steady my quickening breaths. "Or the way it hurt when they said degrading things to me; treating me with such disrespect and carelessness; like they didn't even care that I was human. I don't want to recall how I felt. I felt utterly terrible and worthless and like I was no more important than the dirt they walked on. Why does everyone want me to talk about it? It only makes me angry and upset and...and...it just makes me hate myself."

Zayn had risen to his feet and he walked over to me, sitting down on the bedspread. His hand comfortingly rubbed my back and I cringed, thinking only of their hands touching me. I didn't want to think of them when Zayn touched me. Turning, I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder. His arm stopped rubbing and just settled around my waist.

"I think they're just trying to understand." He commented.

"I don't know how much more of the pitiful looks and awkward exchanges I can take." I whispered, speaking of my parents. "They certainly mean well, but it's not helping in the slightest. If anything, being around them is making it worse."

I listened to Zayn's steady breathing for comfort before he spoke. "I'll think of something."

"Something?"

"Something to help you. We'll figure it out, even if it means you moving out." He assured me gently, grunting when I pressed too hard on his wound.

"Sorry..."

"It's okay. If you ever feel like you have to talk about anything—concerning how you're doing or your concerns about...your baby, just let me know and I'll gladly listen." Zayn told me. "You know you can trust me."

I looked down at my stomach, seeing that my belly was still the same size. If anything I had become thinner. Perhaps I needed to eat better so the baby would be healthy. It was difficult to remember that I was responsible for two lives now. It was strange. Somehow I still felt like a kid, rather than an adult.

My gaze lingered on the window, looking out at the clouds coming in. Summer was slowly wandering away with the month of October while fall slowly set in. Just like the changing seasons, my life was transitioning into something entirely different than I had expected before the summer began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys will be in this story eventually in case you were wondering.


	6. Passing Time

After some weeks, the situation at home was becoming too much for me to handle. I felt pathetic, but Zayn kept reassuring me that it was alright. My parents simply didn't know what to do and it wasn't their fault. It was me. Whenever they tried to help I took it the wrong way. I spent a lot of my time in my room alone or with Zayn and Titus.

More weeks passed by and I didn't get any better mentally as my stomach grew slightly in size. My parents and Zayn were trying to get me to see someone but I refused, thinking it would only make things worse for me. I didn't realize at the time that getting everything out might actually help me.

After over a month, Zayn started feeling like a burden, living in my parent's house. I didn't want him to leave, but he said he had to, though he wouldn't go far. He ended up moving into a small apartment above a bakery downtown. He promised to always come to me if I needed him, which reassured me a little.

At night, when he had lived in my house, whenever I'd have a nightmare or would be overcome with fear, I'd go into his room for comfort. After he'd gone, I started going into Titus' room. The little boy didn't mind. He quickly got used to me wanting to sleep with him and even looked forward to my nightly visits, staying awake to wait for me.

One day, it all became officially too much and I knew I had to leave. Maybe it was because I missed Zayn and wanted to be near him because he made me feel safe, but it was really because I couldn't bear the looks from my parents and their baby treatment of me. I loved them to no end, but there comes a time when you have to draw the line; especially when it's affecting you negatively.

So one chilly fall day, I stood on the doorstep of my house, bags in hand and Zayn waiting at his car. I would be moving into his apartment for a while. My mom was tearful and my dad looked miserably sad as he hugged me tightly for a full minute.

"I'll miss you princess." He whispered, holding the back of my head tenderly. "Be safe and don't talk to strangers. Come right back home if you ever need a hug from your dad."

"I will." I smiled and hugged my mom, earning some dramatic weeping from her. “I'm only going to be downtown, mom.” I tried to lighten the mood.

Titus hung onto me as I hugged him last and he stared woefully up at me, sensing my parent's sadness at seeing me go. "Don't go away! I love you! Don't you want to sleep with me anymore? I'm scared without you!"

"You're much braver than me." I told him quietly, kissing his shiny forehead. "You make me feel safe."

"I do?" He asked curiously, the thought foreign to him.

"Yes. You'll grow up to be a great protector to your family someday." I said, standing up and smiling at the pride that lit up his features.

And then I was walking down the sidewalk to the car, Zayn having put my bags in the back. We got into the car and drove away from my home. As we did, I felt confused. I missed them already. But I needed a change, didn't I?

The drive was short and as soon as Zayn parked the car on a side street, I got out and quickly got my bags with his help. He opened a door right next to the bakery and a set of stairs met us. He carried the bags up the stairs because they were too heavy for me and at the top he unlocked one of the two doors, number 1.

Stepping inside, the place smelled of freshly baked bread from the shop downstairs and I inhaled in delight.

"Yeah, it's a great smell at first, but then you realize you can't have any unless you buy it." Zayn laughed, setting the bags down in the middle of the floor and dropping his keys onto the kitchen counter.

"This place is so cute." I observed, looking around and feeling happier already.

"It's pretty small and old. Only has four rooms; a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. The floors creak and sometimes the water heater shuts off randomly, but it's what I could afford." Zayn noted, taking a seat on a barstool.

"It's lovely." I said honestly, sitting down next to him. Although it was old, it had character and with some clever decorating it could actually be really cute.

"I like to call it the Loft." Zayn admitted with a laugh.

"That suits it." I agreed, nodding with a smile.

"Hopefully that smile will come around more often now." He commented, eyeing me with interest.

I hummed in response and placed my elbows on the counter, studying the little kitchen. Time was passing so quickly it seemed and in such great quantities, and yet it felt like I had only just escaped Camp Harmony. That was three months ago now.

I was looking toward college, but in my current state of being mentally unstable and three months pregnant, I couldn't possibly throw a load of homework on top. I decided to apply next year when I would hopefully be better. I really wanted to attend college to look into law enforcement and criminal justice or just anything having to do with investigating or responding to sex trafficking. Being a victim of ràpe, I knew that someday I wanted to help save girls forced into the same situation.

Along with the fact that I wasn't prepared for college mentally, I also didn't have the money. I didn't want my parents paying for all of it so I decided to get a job. Perhaps it could distract me from my depression as well.

Zayn and I found a nice swing of things around the Loft. Despite it only having one bedroom, I found that I was okay with sleeping in the same room with him every night. He put another bed in there so things wouldn't get awkward and even though it was a little cramped, it was just what I needed. His presence comforted me.

He never spoke of our one kiss back at the camp when I thought he might die and I would go with Harry. I think he noticed whenever I'd slightly flinch at his touch out of habit or shiver in anxiety when he got close to me. It was rather clear that I was still messed up so I think he was giving me space to recover. Sometimes though, I sensed that he wanted to be closer to me.

While time creeped by, life became a little more normal and I finally found a job at a diner down the road. I worked there several days a week and could walk back to the apartment by myself. Our town wasn't that huge and crime wasn't too common so I felt pretty safe walking the streets alone.

Zayn and I came up with a system. If I ever felt like I was being followed or if I was being chased, we made a meeting spot where I would go hide. I would stay there and call him to come get me. We chose an abandoned warehouse to be our rendezvous point and we tested it out a couple of times.

I doubted we'd ever need to do it for real because the biggest dangers to me were locked away and wouldn't be let out for a long, long time.

At last, Zayn convinced me to see someone when it seemed my paranoia was getting worse and not better. At first I didn't want to talk much to the psychologist about what happened, but she slowly was able to gain my trust and I opened up a little. But the healing process turned out to be much harder than I had hoped.

I couldn't stop the nightmares and constant paranoia from eating me alive. It was so unpleasant waking up in the middle of the night frightened to death; thinking Harry or Louis were in the room. I'd even jump into Zayn's bed sometimes.

It was only on May 14th that my life began to turn around for the better—when I gave birth to a little bundle of joy whom I named Caspian. He literally came out of the womb laughing. My parents and Zayn were in the hospital in a room down the hall during the birth and my parents were freaking out in concern until they could see me.

Just holding my little guy in my arms made me not regret the grueling and painful birth I'd just gone through. He cried for like a second and then was quiet and smiling, giggling up at me.

Zayn was finally allowed in my room and the moment he saw me with my precious baby in my arms, his worried expression turned to relief and joy. He walked over, my parents making room for him as he knelt down beside me and stared at the little life in my arms.

Caspian had big clear blue eyes just like mine and a soft bald head. His little mouth opened wide in a yawn and his tiny fingers curled around my thumb. My heart completely melted.

"If only one good thing could have come from what happened last summer, it's him." I whispered, tearing up.

Zayn rested a hand over mine, grinning widely. "Even though he's tiny, I have a feeling he'll be the one to help you heal fully."

"And you." I assured Zayn, looking at him fondly.

After I'd recovered, we took Caspian home with us. He slept in a crib that I put right beside my own bed because I couldn't leave him out in the living room alone. Sure he'd keep us up at night sometimes, but we both loved him so much. It almost felt like we were a normal family after a while.

Fall came again and I got into college, studying hard and thankful for the distraction of homework so I couldn't think of last year. I put all of my effort into studying, working, and taking care of my son. Zayn worked at the bakery downstairs and earned enough to provide for all of us once he became a manager.

Winter came, bringing more happiness and contentment for me. Caspian and Zayn were my sources of joy, always making me feel loved and cared about which was what I needed. I was no longer treated like I meant nothing. Zayn cared about me a great deal and always showed it.

Another year passed, and another. Caspian was two and half now and could walk and talk a little bit. Our apartment was always a bit messy with toys and things. Caspian enjoyed making a mess. He had a head full of dark hair now. It wasn't completely black like mine, it was a little more brown...like Harry's. I had to force myself not to see the resemblance between my son and his father. Zayn was his father now.

School had started again and I had a lot on my mind, including the new shiny ring on my finger.

It was an easy yes on my part; I loved Zayn. He had given up a lot to make sure I stayed safe and happy. I enjoyed him and knew he was someone I couldn't live without. I wanted him with me always.

Even now, three years after that awful summer, nightmares plagued me once in a while. On those nights, I would get into Zayn's bed and cuddle close to him. His arms would wrap around me and hold me close.

Tonight was one of those nights. In my dream I was back at Camp Harmony running through the woods. They were after me and close at my heels. Of course I fell and they were on me in seconds, laughing at me and shoving me around, tugging at my clothes until I jerked awake and sat straight up in my bed.

My body sweating and trembling, I looked at Caspian in his miniature bed at the foot of my bed and then over at Zayn sleeping peacefully on the other side of the room. Slipping off the mattress, I tiptoed across the floor in my bare feet and climbed into bed with Zayn.

He stirred and woke up, seeing me immediately. "You alright?"

I shook my head shamefully and he opened his arms, inviting me to lie with him. Cuddling close, I laid down with my face in his neck. His hand wandered down my shoulder and down my side, hesitating at my hip. He wouldn't normally touch me like that because he knew I didn't like to be touched in that way, but I think he was too tired to notice what he was doing. I tried to ignore it.

"You're safe. Don't worry." He whispered and then held me close as he fell back asleep.

Comforted, I let myself drift back to sleep, ignoring the feeling of fear that continued trying to get a grip on me. I was completely safe now. The boys were locked away and would never hurt me again or get inside my head like they had. I had a wonderful life now with a son and a fiancé and I was happy—something I didn't think was possible.

Little did I know that my happy life would soon be interrupted in a way no one could have predicted. Little did I know, that my happiness would soon be crushed once more as the chilliness of winter began to set in.


	7. Shadows From the Past

"I'll see you later Scarlet." Zayn said to me with a smile as he gave me a gentle hug and moved his nose to my neck briefly before pulling away.

As I felt my heart flutter in my chest at the contact, I found myself wishing he'd hold me longer. Lately I'd been wanting to be closer to him but I wasn't sure about it. I no longer felt the level of fear and anxiousness at physical contact that I had before. With Zayn's touches came something I liked. It made my skin tingle and my chest tighten delightfully. However, I didn't know how to tell him that, so I remained quiet.

After kissing Caspian goodbye, I left the loft, walked down the old stairs, and exited the building. The air outside was chilly, so I wrapped my coat around me tighter. It seemed like summer had only been yesterday when we could visit the river outside of town and go swimming. Now that winter was setting in, I had to remind myself to dress warmly when I went to work.

The walk to work was always pleasant and short. I walked several blocks before arriving at Bren and Mae’s Diner and then I hurried through the back door from the alley. Inside I clocked in and put on my burgundy apron before getting to work.

I first had the task of cleaning tables because Mark hadn't shown up on time again, but once he had, I could work at the cash register taking orders. Brenton was the owner supervising today so I was glad of that. He was much nicer than Mae, his wife.

The day was going quite slowly, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the diner and Brenton made it better with his jovial attitude. Afternoon passed and countless customers came in and left; all of them just a blur of unfamiliar faces.

By the time my shift was almost over, I was weary and ready to go home. As I stood in the back room putting together a panini sandwich for a customer, I heard the door chime once again as yet another customer came in. Once I had finished placing the panini on a plate and sticking a toothpick into it, I walked out of the back room and put it on the counter, calling out, "Panini for Carla."

When I walked back into the back room, Brenton called, "Hey could you help this customer? Mae is calling again."

Sighing, I stepped back out, smoothing my apron and walking over to the man who's hood was up. Without even looking up, I picked up the pad of paper and asked, "What can I get you today sir? Our special today is..."

My voice got caught in my throat when I looked up, meeting familiar green eyes, and yet I wasn't sure I was actually seeing them. My body became frozen for a second as I stared into the shocked face of the man in my nightmares; Harry.

With my mouth wide open, I couldn't scream or even make a sound. The notepad in my hands dropped to the floor while my world began to spin out of control. Harry's eyebrows scrunched together in a confused frown as a soft whisper left his mouth, "Scarlet?"

His voice made my heart clench in terror. At the sound of his voice—the voice which had spoken so many hurtful things to me and demanded way too much of me—I managed to finally snap out of my trance and I bolted to the left. At the corner of my eye I saw Harry move my way quickly so I dashed to the door of the back room and ran through it. I heard Harry push past Brenton and come after me.

"No!" I choked out in distress as I ran through the kitchen, knocking over a few pans as I stumbled to the back door. I didn't even think to grab my phone or call for help. I had never been able to call for help for before so the thought didn't occur to me.

I only had one thought in my head; and that was to get away from Harry.

Reaching the door, I shoved it open and dashed through it, slamming it closed behind me. Running into the alley, I headed to the left, disturbing a group of pigeons which took flight around me. I heard the door open again and so I quickened my pace, adrenaline spurring me onward.

I could hear feet running behind me but I didn't dare look back. Reaching the street, I went straight for the busiest part and tried to lose Harry amidst the people. Bumping into strangers, I kept running and dashing along the street before ducking into an alley. Flattening myself against the brick wall, I inhaled deeply as I caught my breath and noticed immediately how much I was shaking.

Simply seeing Harry's face again...I could clearly remember how he had looked hovering over me—dominating me. He had relished every second while I suffered. I bent my head, choking out a sob. How could this be? He was supposed to be in prison!

Peeking around the corner, I didn't see him anywhere. Everyone was walking along normally as if nothing was wrong. Had he given up? Had I lost him that easily? Not wanting to take any chances, I remained in place for a while longer until I decided it was probably safe to move.

Trembling, I lowered my head and walked out onto the sidewalk, blending in with the rest of the crowd. My senses were on full alert as I walked along, noticing every small movement from anyone who got too close. I passed shops and restaurants and many streets until I reached a street less frequented by the general public.

Turning onto it, I reached the warehouse I was looking for and went in through the back door. The broken windows let in the cold winter air and the dirty cement floors didn't help with the temperature. But I didn't care now that I knew I wouldn't be found. The place was so random that he wouldn't think to look for me there.

Sliding down the wall to a sitting position, I held my knees and hid my face in my arms. Zayn would soon realize when I didn't come home that something happened. He would come find me. That reassuring thought kept me sane for the next hour or so as I tried not to dwell on the fact that I'd just seen Harry.

How had he been there? How had he gotten out of prison? If they'd let him out they would have told me. So how then?

"Scarlet?"

I gasped and jumped out of my skin at the voice, but quickly clutched my chest when I saw Zayn step through the door and see me on the floor.

"Babe, what happened?" He asked in concern as he rushed to my side and helped me to my feet, pulling me into his arms.

My breath shook as I whispered, "I saw him."

"Him?" He asked in confusion, stroking my hair gently.

"He was there in front of me. He saw me and...ran after me." I said, holding onto him tightly.

"Who?" Zayn whispered back, his voice holding a bit of an edge to it.

"Harry!" I cried, gripping Zayn's shirt in my fists.

His body tensed when I spoke the name we'd avoided saying for so long. "That can't be. He's locked up. He can't get to you."

"I saw him. He was there in the diner." I insisted.

He was silent a moment, only the eerie sounds of the window whistling through the old warehouse meeting our ears. "He's in prison, Scarlet."

"No. He was there in front of me. I saw his face." I exclaimed, moving away and looking him in the eye.

He looked doubtful, but he also wanted to believe me. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

"And you're sure you didn't...imagine it. Not that I'm saying you're lying or making things up... I just, well. You know how you can get sometimes and I just want you to be sure that you didn't imagine him being there." He said carefully.

"I looked him in the eye and he said my name. Then I ran." I explained seriously.

A frown crossed his face. "We should contact the police. I wonder why they haven't told us he's out. Did they let him out?"

"I don't know." I responded as he led me out of the huge abandoned building and to the car.

"Caspian is with your mom, so don't worry. I'll call the police and you should stay in the loft until we know what's going on." Zayn decided.

"Okay..." I nodded as we drove away.

Zayn did call the police, but they didn't know what he was talking about. They responded by telling him Harry Styles was still locked up. That puzzled me completely because I had certainly seen him at the diner with my own eyes. I'd heard his voice.

For the next two weeks, I remained in the loft with Caspian thinking back on the encounter in the diner. I replayed it over and over again. Had I really seen Harry or had I just imagined it? Was I really that paranoid that I'd imagine him there so vividly? It seemed so real...

The more I recalled it though, the more I convince myself that it hadn't been him. Zayn called the prison a few times and each time they responded by telling him Harry was locked up still. So, Harry hadn't really been there at all. I made myself believe it. The prison authorities said he was still there so it had to be true.

I had imagined it. My paranoia had become too great; he was never really there.

Finally, I convinced myself it was safe to leave the apartment. Ready for work once again, I kissed Caspian on the forehead and gave him a hug when he started to cry because I was leaving. Zayn pulled me into his arms, hugging me and holding the back of my head.

"You'll be fine. Call me if anything strange happens okay? The boys are locked up and they aren't coming anywhere near you." He assured me as he pulled away.

"I know." I nodded, glancing down at his mouth. I had a sudden need for him to kiss me, but I shook it off. Some other day, I told myself.

"Take care and I'll see you tonight. Your mom's picking Caspian up in a half hour just so you know." He waved and opened the door for me.

"Yeah, see you tonight." I smiled and placed my purse on my shoulder. I love you, I wanted to say, but was too afraid to. I didn't know why it was so hard for me to tell him my feelings.

His face lit up in a grin as he waved again and closed the door behind me when I walked out. I didn't want to go to work, but I needed the money. I would much rather have stayed home and played with my son all day. He was learning new words all the time and it was fun to see.

Strolling along in the brisk afternoon air, I kept my eyes darting around instinctually. Everyone who passed by seemed suspicious to me, but once the diner came into view, I was laughing at myself and how paranoid I was. Turning into the alley beside the diner, I made for the back door.

But as I past the dumpster, I heard two people arguing. Glancing further down the alley, I noticed two employees of the bar next door in a heated exchange. The girl seemed enraged about something and the guy seemed a little guilty as they both went back inside, shouting all the while. Rolling my eyes because I frequently caught them screaming at each other, I turned around, but then gasped when a person was suddenly there directly in front of me.

Catching sight of his face, I leaped back, running into the wall roughly and covering my mouth with my hands. Whimpers escaped as I stared in utter horror and had no idea what to do.

None other than Louis Tomlinson smirked at me, flipping a knife in the air before catching it again, "Thought I'd get that reaction. Miss me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do tell me your reactions to this chapter!


	8. Chased

Once again I'm terror stricken in the presence of the one who had fueled my worst nightmares the past three years. He'd been the main cause of my paranoia and fear. And now here he was in front of me, very real and very dangerous.

"H-how?" I gasped out, glancing to the sides to see which way would be better to run. "How are you here?"

"That doesn't matter. What does matter however, is you. I need you to come with me, sweetheart. Nice and quietly." Louis gestured in the air with his knife and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"You expect me to go with you?" I spat out, tugging my coat tighter around me.

"Yes, because Harry said so. Believe me love, you want to come with me." He said seriously, taking a step closer. "My my. It has been much too long since I've seen you. Have you gotten skinnier? And hotter? I don't see how that's possible."

When he began to rake his gaze down my body, I knew I had to get away, and now. As fast as I could, I snatched a pipe that was sitting beside the dumpster and lugged it at Louis forcefully. It struck him in the arm and he fell over in surprise. I took the chance and ran.

"Liam, get your ass over here!" I heard Louis yell behind me.

"Not Liam too!" I cried and dashed down the alley, reaching the street.

"Scarlet stop! We're trying to help you!" Louis shouted just before I turned the corner and dodged my way through the people on the sidewalk. Help me? Yeah right.

I heard people being shoved out of the way behind me so I went faster. He was catching up.

Losing my breath, I darted into a store and quickly hid behind a tall shelf filled with clothes. I heard the door open shortly after and knew that he knew I was in here. Looking through the shelves at him, I waited until he got closer. As soon as he was standing right on the other side, I shoved the shelf with all my might and it fell on him.

Without waiting to see what he would do, I ran out of the store, only to see Liam standing a distance away looking around frantically. When he caught sight of me, he dashed toward me while I ran away again along the street.

Glancing behind me, I could see Liam and Louis not far behind. The fear pulsing through me kept me going longer than I would have been able to normally. Maybe I could lose them in the next alley. It had many twists, turns, and dead ends and I knew it well.

Gasping for air, I turned right into the alley after the last store and dashed along it, turning left at a fork and passing a few people talking. Then I turned right and ran along the curved passageway. Seeing a doorway, I scrambled to stand in it and crouched there, covering my mouth with my hands.

A few seconds later, I saw Liam run past my hiding spot. Where was Louis? Then I realized they had split up. This was not good at all! Peeking out and not seeing or hearing anyone, I went the opposite way Liam had gone. I tried to run quietly since I didn't know where Louis was. As I approached a T in the alley, I went right in the direction of the warehouse. If I could make it there safely, they wouldn't think to go in and look for me there.

Alert and scared, I kept an eye out for Louis and scurried along the dirty alley. Once the warehouse came into view, I breathed a sigh of relief. Looking all around, I ran up to the back door and pushed it open, hurrying inside and closing it behind me.

Clutching my chest as I caught my breath, I snatched my phone from my pocket and called Zayn. Putting it to my ear, I tried to keep the tears at bay while I listened to the rings.

"Hey, Scarlet what's up?" He asked casually.

"Zayn, help me. They're here and they're after me. They got out of prison somehow." I whispered into the phone.

"...what? Scarlet? Say that again, I don't think I heard you right."

"Louis and Liam are chasing me! I'm at the-" Suddenly the door opened again and I gasped when Louis walked in, his eyes landing on me immediately. He began to approach me.

"Scarlet! Answer me!" Zayn shouted in the phone.

"I'm at the warehouse, Zayn, help me!" I screamed and bolted away through a doorway into another room.

"Stop okay? Just let me explain!" Louis yelled from behind me.

I didn't stop though. I ran through more large rooms until I reached the corner of the giant building and found stairs. Despite how sketchy they looked, I ran up them and Louis was close at my heels. Then suddenly I felt him grab my foot and I stumbled, falling onto the steps.

"Ow! Let go of me!" I shrieked, turning and kicking at him. "Let go!"

"Would you just stop and-"

I smacked him in the face with my boot and scrambled up the stairs frantically. Reaching the top floor, I bolted forward and tried to think of where to go as panic overtook me.

"Scarlet, damn it!" Louis boomed and managed to grab my arm, yanking me roughly back to him. My phone was flung out of my hands and it clattered to the floor.

"Let go!" I screamed at him, kicking his shin.

He let go in surprise and groaned in discomfort while I brought my leg up quicker than he could think and struck his manhood. Pain flashed across his face as he doubled over and I shoved him with all my strength. He fell and I turned to run again. But before I could leave the dirty empty room, he snatched my coat and jerked me backward, causing me to fall to the floor.

"Just stop and listen to me! We're trying to help you!" Louis hissed angrily, nearing me while I scrambled to my feet again.

"Like I'd really believe you! What kind of a fool do you take me for? You're only going to hurt me again!" I responded, backing away while he approached me steadily.

"You don't understand the danger you're in." He tilted his head, rubbing his crotch to relieve some of the pain.

"I know exactly the danger I'm in. There is no way I'm going with you. Don't touch me or I'll make you sorry." I warned him, holding my hands up.

"Just come with me. I'll explain everything." He told me, danger flashing in his eyes.

"No!" I shrieked and dodged him as he tried to come at me again.

When he'd cornered me against the wall, I hit him in the chest and so he grabbed my arm. I used my other to punch his face.

Catching both my arms, he growled menacingly, "Quit it, darling, before I stop being so nice."

"Get away from me you filthy piece of shît!" I yelled and tried kicking him between the legs again, but he was expecting it.

He blocked my leg and then slapped me across the face. "Do you really want me to be forceful? Because I definitely will be if you don't come with me willingly."

Tears pricking my eyes, I tried to stop shaking as I stared into his cruel expression. "I will never go with you willingly."

He smirked, but didn't look amused in the slightest. "Almost forgot how stubborn you can be. I've missed it."

When he let go of me for a second, I punched him in the jaw again and slipped out of his grasp. He cursed loudly and came after me, swinging his arm at me but I ducked just in time. I kicked him in the side and then kicked his leg. I was now glad I had taken some self defense classes. Louis, however, looked enraged.

"Okay that's it. I warned you. You deserve every bit of this you little bîtch." Louis snarled and then swung his arm at me, striking my cheek.

I stumbled backward into the wall and held my cheek in shock, feeling blood. He had never hit me that hard. I tried to dart around him but he grabbed me and roughly shoved me into another wall. I tried to block his punches, but he wasn't going easy on me any longer.

He hit me three times before I couldn't take anymore and collapsed to the ground, holding my hands up for protection. I felt dizzy and it hurt excruciatingly. There was blood on my hands.

"Please stop!" I begged, huddling against the wall.

"You won't come with me willingly. Guess I'll have to take you unconscious. But unfortunately for you, Liam has the drugs and he's not here right now." Louis quipped mockingly.

I attempted to crawl away, but he grabbed my hair and shoved me back where I was. He used his foot to kick me in the stomach and that's when I heard Liam's voice.

"Tommo! What the hell are you doing?" Liam shouted, running forward from the stairway as I started seeing stars.

"She brought it upon herself." Louis growled angrily.

"She's just a girl! Look at her; how delicate she is. You could have killed her!" Liam exclaimed, nearing me.

I was fading fast, but I wouldn't let myself fall asleep. I needed to get away.

"Let me go..." I whispered, lying against the wall in pain. I couldn't move now.

"You're coming with us." Louis demanded.

"Go to hell you murdering ràpist." I croaked out, glaring up at him.

At that, Louis screamed in rage and Liam couldn't stop him when he swung his foot at my head, knocking me out completely.


	9. Locked In

When I woke up, I was completely disoriented. My vision was fuzzy for a second and I had a terrible headache. Touching my fingers to my forehead, I groaned and attempted to see clearer. I was lying on something soft.

When my eyes began working again, I weakly sat up, every bone in my body aching. Fear ripped through me when I remembered what happened and saw my surroundings. I wasn't in the loft. I was in a foreign four-walled room painted dirty white. There was a closet which had missing doors and a window near the bed. But the window had bars, keeping me trapped inside. I looked to the door, attempting to keep myself from hyperventilating. I doubted the door was unlocked.

Crawling to the end of the bed, I tried to see what was outside, but the glass was fogged and I couldn't see anything. At that moment I heard a muffled voice shout from somewhere in the house.

"You ass wipe I thought you said you bought more peanut butter!" Louis yelled, clearly upset.

"I did! Just look harder!" Liam responded.

"It's not in the fridge!" Louis whined.

"Someone must have eaten it." Liam shouted, his voice moving past the door of the room I was in. I held my breath, but he didn't come in.

"That stupid Irishman." Louis complained, his voice fainter.

I wasn't sure what to do. The only way out was through the door. But they were out there... Looking around the room for anything that could help me, I didn't see anything useful. The room was completely bare besides the bed and the bed frame was metal so I couldn't break off a piece. My eyes began to sting but I forced myself not to cry. I needed to stay strong if I was to get out of here.

Footsteps sounded outside the door and I tensed up, preparing for the worst. I held my legs close to me as I huddled on the bed.

"Do you think she's awake yet?" I heard Louis ask.

"I just checked on her a half hour ago. She was still asleep." Liam replied.

"I'll check again."

"No, leave her. I'm sure she's still out cold. You hit her hard mate." Liam said, a slight edge to his voice.

"It's not my fault she was being so troublesome. Knocking her out was the only way." Louis defended himself.

"No. She just made you angry and you lost control, again. You've got to stop doing that." Liam said.

"Shut the hell up. I can control my anger just fine." Louis shot back and stomped away.

"Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm here to babysit her, or you." Liam grumbled.

Their arguing voices got quieter as they went to a different part of the house, or whatever this building was. Breathing a sigh of relief, I relaxed against the wall and wondered what to do. My purse and phone were nowhere to be seen, obviously. All I had were my clothes. And I thanked the lord I had that much.

I eventually tried to open the door, but of course it was locked. There was nothing under the bed besides cobwebs and dust. There was nothing that could help me get out of here...nothing.

Who knows how much time later, footsteps neared the door again. Jumping off the bed, I went and stood where they couldn't see me when they opened the door. The second it opened, I jumped out and went to kick him in the balls, and surprisingly succeeded. Liam buckled over and groaned.

Rushing past him, I planned to run and find an exit, but was met by a body. Stumbling into Louis, I gasped and was pushed backward by him. He stepped into the room and shut all three of us inside.

"If you dare hit me again I guarantee you will be sorry." He growled at me sternly.

Deciding it was in my best interest not to test Louis, I backed away, watching as Liam breathed heavily in pain. When Louis stepped toward me and I realized the bed was behind me, I dashed to the side and backed toward the wall instead.

"What? Afraid I'll do all sorts of sinful things to you on the bed?" Louis mocked, following me until I was pressed against the wall.

Raising my nose, I mustered all the courage I had and demanded, "Let me go and do not touch me."

"I don't think so. I get to do whatever I want." He raised an eyebrow.

"Louis, stop. Get over here." Liam rolled his eyes and gestured for his friend to leave me alone.

Shaking, I remained where I was in the corner while Louis huffed and stepped away from me. I watched anxiously while Liam caught his breath and held onto Louis' shirt.

"Listen, Scarlet. This isn't how it was supposed to go." He explained, nodding at Louis. "Louis shouldn't have beaten you up yesterday."

"Yesterday?" I asked in shock. "Where am I? Why did you kidnap me?"

"I'm sure you won't believe us, but I'll tell you if you want to know." Liam said indifferently.

"Please do. And then let me go back home." I said firmly.

"You're not going home. You're staying right here." Louis gloated, eyeing me in a way I didn't like.

I had to look away from him when memories of him forcing himself onto me came back; memories I'd tried to forget, but clearly they had been seared into my brain.

"Louis and I have to watch you since Harry's away taking care of some things for the time being. But anyway, a lot of things happened while we were in prison. But, long story short, our gang has an enemy. We don't know who he is actually. He's a ghost—never showing himself and always hiding behind different people. He learned about what happened the summer we had you. He put two and two together and found out Harry's feelings for you."

"Harry has no feelings for me." I interjected sharply.

"Anyway...our enemy wants to destroy our gang, but obviously he can't find us because we're good at hiding. So he decided to look for you instead and use you to get to Harry. Harry didn't want him to find you so we decided we needed to get to you first. We escaped prison and came searching. And we found you by accident actually. Harry randomly found where you worked."

"You mean to tell me..." I looked at them in disgust. "That you're trying to protect me?"

"Exactly! I'd hoped you'd understand." Liam sighed in relief, but Louis was watching me curiously.

"You can't seriously think that I'd believe you would ever in a million years want to protect me. All you've ever done is terrorize and hurt me! You're not protecting me. You're only trying to manipulate me into thinking that so you can more easily take advantage of me!" I shouted angrily.

"Why must everything be about you, you selfish brat? Just accept our help and cooperate." Louis grumbled moodily.

"I don't believe you." I stated in finality.

"Believe what you wish. But you're staying here until this blows over." Liam shrugged as if he didn't care.

"And how long will that be?" I asked uncertainly.

"Oh I don't know. Years maybe." Louis smirked.

At my horrified look, Liam shook his head and shoved Louis. "Only as long as it takes to find this guy and get rid of him. Don't listen to Louis."

"I can't stay here..." I whispered, looking around helplessly. "I need to go home. My..."

Then I realized they clearly didn't know about Caspian. And they would never find out either. There was no telling what they might do if they discovered Harry had made me pregnant and now I had a two and half year old who was with my fiancé Zayn. Zayn! He must be looking for me by now. I held onto the hope that he'd find me and help me get out of here.

"Anyway, you hungry?" Liam asked me, then grabbed Louis' arm when he began to walk toward me.

He couldn't stop Louis from blurting out smugly, "Yeah you hungry? I have something for you to eat."

I knew exactly what he meant and glared at him, not moving away from my spot. "I'd like some water."

"But I have something better-" Louis started while Liam shoved him at the door.

"Lou, get the fûck out." Liam whined irritably.

When Louis left the room, smirking all the while, I breathed a sigh of relief and could finally calm down a little.

"I'll get you some water. And listen, if he ever tries something with you, just call my name and I'll stop him. Harry told him he can't touch you like before. But Louis just...has a hard time listening when it comes to you." Liam explained, stepping to the door. "He hasn't had sex since the last time with you. Seeing you again...is kind of making him desperate."

"Desperate?" I tilted my head, chills running through me.

"Desperate to fûck you." Liam replied indifferently.

Freezing in my place, I yearned to get out of here and be safely in the loft with my son and Zayn. I wasn't sure what I would do if Louis ever succeeded in taking advantage of me. I wasn't sure I could handle it again.

"Please keep him away from me." I requested quietly, folding my arms.

"I'll do my best, but I won't always be around. So, watch out for him." Liam shrugged and then left the room, closing the door.

I went back to the bed and sat down, feeling a cold draft suddenly as the gravity of my predicament hit me. Being the femininely built girl that I was, there was a low chance that I'd be able to get out of here using my own strength. I simply didn't have the power. Louis had easily overpowered me once he stopped playing around. How would I get away then?

Liam came back with water and a sandwich, which only had jelly inside. I gratefully took them, being famished and thirsty. Liam also brought me a guy's hoodie and some more blankets.

"It's supposed to be colder tonight." He explained and then left me alone before I could ask any more questions.

Slipping the hoodie on over my head gingerly, I tried my best not to smell it. But I could undoubtedly recognize the familiar scent. It smelled like him. Where was he anyway? Liam had said he was away taking care of some things. I wondered what he was doing. However I was glad he wasn't here. I never wanted to see him again.

Not knowing what else to do, I got under the covers and put the extra blankets over me, lying down slowly. I didn't want to turn the light off. The darkness was not something I wanted to deal with right now; not when two of the monsters were on the other side of the door.

I desperately hoped Louis wouldn't come in and mess with me. It seemed I'd have to be extra cautious around him now. I clutched the blankets close to me and shivered in the chilly room, peeking out at the door.

As I listened to unfamiliar sounds and the boys moving around, I grew more and more afraid. I really had no idea what to think. It hadn't fully hit me that I had been kidnapped by the same demons who'd tormented me for two months three years ago. What were they planning to do with me? So there I was—alone—once again trapped by them. Perhaps tomorrow they'd let me out of this room and I could escape.


	10. Escape is Futile

"Liam?" I called through the door, hugging myself in the frigid morning air.

I couldn't believe I was actually summoning one of the beasts of my own free will, but I needed some ibuprofen...or something. My head felt like it was going to split open. I also found bruises on my stomach and arms. Basically my whole body was in pain. Damn you Louis.

"Liam!" I called again, knocking on the door.

When the lock clicked and the door knob twisted, I feared who would answer. I expected Louis to be the one, even though I was hoping for Liam. So I wasn't completely surprised when I was greeted by sleepy blue eyes. And unfortunately he was shirtless.

"Why all the ruckus sweetheart? Do you think this is a hotel or something? Like we're available at all hours of the day to come when you call?" Louis sassed, obviously having just got out of bed.

"I...need ibuprofen." I said quietly, trying to keep the door only slightly ajar, but Louis pushed it all the way open.

"Do you realize it's only seven in the morning? You woke me from my beauty sleep just to ask for that?" He scowled grumpily, placing a hand on his hip.

"I really am in a lot of pain, no thanks to you. The least you can do is give me something to help dull it since it's your fault." I snapped irritably, trying not to show fear toward him since he feeds off of it.

"So you're a little sore hm? I can make you even more sore in different places if you don't change that attitude toward me straight away." Louis threatened darkly.

Gulping, I stood my ground. "Just give me something."

"Scarlet, you know exactly what I can do. So ask nicely." He placed a hand on the doorframe and looked at me expectantly.

"Just give me the damn stuff, freak." I growled, tired of him trying to dominate me. I wouldn't let him anymore.

"Very wrong choice of words love. But seeing as Liam is testing me by letting me be with you by myself, I'm just going to get what you want this time...and punish you later." He gave me a fake smile and shut the door.

"Ugh." I groaned in disbelief, covering my face with my hands. "How do I get out of here?"

The door stayed locked until he returned. He handed me a few pills and some water, lingering in the doorway afterward.

"I need to pee really bad." I mumbled reluctantly.

"Okay, then follow me. No funny business now. But actually, I don't mind if you do something stupid because that just means I get to punish you." He smirked mischievously and stepped back.

"Louis, you're such an ass." I told him irritably, hesitantly moving out the door.

"And you're a brat who clearly needs to relearn her place here amongst us." He snapped back, grabbing my arm too tightly and tugging me along a narrow hall to another door. "Be quick."

"I'll take as long as I want, dîckhead." I rose my nose at him and entered the bathroom, slamming the door before he could respond.

Inside the small room, I breathed a sigh of relief at being safe, even if it would be brief. I relieved myself and then glanced at the mirror while washing my hands, gasping in surprise. Under my right eye was a bruise and I basically looked like a wreck. My black hair was a mess and my eyes were swollen. Well, the only good thing about looking this horrible is that perhaps Louis wouldn't to do anything to me because he'd be revolted.

Suddenly the door swung open and I jumped, seeing Louis poke his head inside. "Time's up sweetheart."

"Get out and leave me alone." I grumbled, annoyed that he'd invade my privacy. What if I had still been on the toilet?

"You'd better stop getting smart with me." He advised.

"And you better stop pretending like we're back at camp. It will never be like that again." I retorted quickly.

Louis' jaw clenched as he struggled to control himself. It looked like he was about to pounce, but then Liam appeared.

"How are things going?" Liam asked a little too cheerfully. He could clearly see Louis' mood was sour, so he was trying to ignore it.

"When can I leave? I have better things to do than be torn down again by that pig." I spat out, taking a step toward Liam when Louis' lips pursed together.

Liam held up a warning hand. "Louis, maybe you should go-"

"Shut up Liam. Listen sweetheart, despite the fact you feel the need to make me angry with your disrespectful words, I can easily see the fear behind your act. You are still afraid of me, clearly. You know exactly what I can do and what I've done and I know you hate that. So I suggest you quit acting like a rebellious brat and behave or I'll do something I shouldn't." Louis threatened darkly, now standing directly in front of me while Liam stood to the side.

"Okay, come on let's get you back to your room." Liam cut in, pushing me back down the hall.

I can't deny that Louis' words shook me up. Glancing back, Louis stood with his arms crossed as he rolled his eyes. I knew I should be more careful around him, but I simply couldn't bring myself to let them have the same power over me as they had. I needed to stay strong and fight back, because now they had no leverage to make me do what they wanted.

As Liam guided me back to "my" room, he sighed deeply and scratched the back of his neck. "Listen. You've got to have a better attitude toward him. If you keep up your smart remarks, you're going to end up going too far and he's gonna snap. He's...he's a little fragile right now."

"Fragile? Louis? You've got to be kidding me." I rolled my eyes.

"I am dead serious right now so cut the sass and listen to me!" He raised his voice slightly, making me fall quiet in surprise. "He just got out of prison where he'd been denied sexual gratification for like three years. Now that he's free, all he wants is to feel that pleasure again. And now that you're here, in all your sexy feminine glory, he's gone crazy with need. He wouldn't hesitate to ràpe you again if you push him too far. And I wouldn't blame him, seeing as I'm tempted as well. But I have a little more self control than he does and Harry wants us to leave you alone. So at least try to not to push his buttons, okay?"

Disconcerted, I blinked and nodded slowly. When he went to close the door, I stopped him. "Liam? When will you let me go?"

"Not now. Just sit tight. Harry's trying to take care of it." He reassured me, but I wasn't reassured.

"I need to go home. I'm needed there." I told him beseechingly, thinking of Caspian.

"Not yet."

"Please, let me go. I don't need your protection. I can take care of myself." I pleaded, keeping him from closing the door.

"Clearly." He responded sarcastically and I glared at him.

"Just let me go home!" I shouted, shoving him and moving back out into the hall.

"Scarlet, just calm down and get back in your room." Liam grumbled, trying to catch my arm, but I shrank away.

Shaking my head, I turned and ran down the hall, finding a staircase and bolting down it while Liam yelled behind me. I tripped on the last step but kept going straight for the front door. I reached it and turned the knob, but that's as far as I got before I was jerked back and flung to the floor.

"He told you to do something and you didn't listen." Louis shook his head in disapproval.

"Don't even start." I scowled as I remained on the hardwood floor and rubbed my knee.

"How shall we punish her Liam?" He asked and I nervously looked to Liam.

"I don't know. No shower privileges." Liam shrugged indifferently. "You aren't allowed to escape and you broke the rule. So, no showers for a week."

Louis clearly didn't like that idea as he neared where I sat and looked down on me like he was superior to me or something. "Uh, how about she has to sleep naked?"

"Louis, what did we just discuss last night?" Liam questioned irritably.

Louis threw up his hands and glared at me, walking past but not before bumping my hip with his foot. "For each time you try to escape, your punishment will get worse."

"I have to agree on that." Liam nodded and I felt betrayed for some reason. "It'll be worse next time. So let's hope there won't be a next time. Now get up and go to your room."

"I hate you." I hissed, standing up and feeling lightheaded.

"If you're good I might let you watch television. If not, you can stay in your room with nothing to do." Liam told me with a shrug, following me back up the stairs.

"Liam? Can I call home please?" I asked as we approached my door again.

Liam opened it and hesitated, thinking a moment. "Nah. It's too risky. It's better they're left in the dark."

"Please. I have no clue where I am, so it's not like I could help them find me." I reasoned.

"Well I might have considered it if you hadn't tried escaping. Now get inside and think about what you did." Liam pushed me and closed the door before I could stop him.

"I'm not a child you freak!" I yelled through the door, banging my fist onto the surface.

There was no response, only the click of the lock and footsteps fading away. Groaning and rolling my eyes in disbelief, I turned around. It seemed there was no way to get out, but I was determined to keep trying. Harry had told them they couldn't get physical sexually with me, so I knew I could push the limits more than usual. I just hoped that Louis would be able to control himself; that was the only risk.

Later that day I had another chance. After spending the day sitting on the bed silently, Liam let me out to watch television. He brought me downstairs to a living room with wooden floors and maroon couches. Having been holding my arm the whole way down, Liam released me by pushing me down on one couch.

"Stay there, understand? If you get up, no ice cream for you. Here's the remote." He tossed the remote in my lap and walked into the adjoining kitchen. I eyed the front door, but decided to wait a while so he'd think I had no intention of escaping. So I sat there for an hour watching The Office reruns.

By that time, Liam was absentmindedly staring off into space at the bar in the kitchen. I hadn't seen Louis besides when he briefly came downstairs to grab some food. So I decided now was a good time. I leaped up and ran to the door, quickly unlocking the dead bolt and yanking it open.

I ran outside, disoriented by the unfamiliar neighborhood. The houses were far apart and surrounded by tree groves, so I wasn't sure where to run. I only made it down to the little wooden fence blocking in the lawn when I was suddenly flung to the ground by an object striking my head. I landed awkwardly on my knee and pain shot through it. I cried out and clutched it, knowing my attempt was now futile.

Looking up, I saw both of them staring down at me in frustration. Louis reached down and jerked me up to stand, but I couldn't stand with my knee hurting. Grunting, Louis bent down and slung me over his shoulder, holding onto the backs of my legs as he carried me inside. Liam followed and cursed under his breath.

"Louis, take her back to her room and leave her there. I need to call Harry." Liam ordered, taking out his phone.

"Sure thing." Louis said a little too brightly and I shivered in nervousness as he carried me back up the stupid stairs.

"He said to leave me there. Meaning you'll leave right after." I reminded him anxiously as he opened the door and walked in.

He didn't answer until he had dropped me onto floor and shut the door unusually gently. "Course I'll leave right after. Right after I've undressed you."

"No!" I shouted, trying to stand, but my knee was in excruciating pain and I couldn't stay on my feet. "Stay away from me, you hear?"

Louis ignored me and reached down, yanking me up only to push me on the bed. He took hold of my jacket and started pushing it off my shoulders. Fear ripped through me as I struggled against his strength. He'd gotten stronger than before.

"Stop, Louis. Please! Please, Louis." I implored as I hit and scratched him, kicking my good leg at him in vain. "Don't!"

He began to lift my shirt, revealing my stomach. "Don't tell me what to do. You asked for this."

"Louis!" I shrieked, frantically trying to keep my shirt down.

"Louis, cut it out!" Liam yelled suddenly and we both froze.

Louis stopped and pushed me on my back, annoyed. "She's not going to learn if you punish her with no showers and dish duty."

"Well, then you suggest something. Because we're not supposed to take advantage of her." Liam threw up a hand.

"Look at her, Liam. She's terrified right now. See those tears? This is the only way to get her to obey." Louis pointed at me and I defiantly wiped my wet cheeks.

Liam shrugged. "I agree, but we have orders from Harry."

"Ugh. That little twat needs to come back." Louis whined, glaring at me. "Maybe then I'll be able to get him to see things my way."

"You only want to punish her like that so you can get some sexual release. Just suck it up and find something else to fill your time." Liam said irritably, going to the door while Louis followed.

"And for trying to escape, you have to clean the house tomorrow." Liam said to me before closing me in again.

Frustrated and shaken up, I put the jacket back on and laid face down on the bed, screaming into the pillow. If I had to stay another day here with them I'd go mad. Louis could literally destroy me if Liam stopped preventing him from tormenting me. I hated that I wasn't strong enough to keep him off of me. I hugged myself for comfort and lay on the bed, praying for a miracle that would save me.


	11. A New Kind of Punishment

"I still can't believe I'm here and two of them are out there." I whispered to myself, sitting on the bed alone in my room.

Sometimes I talked to myself and I hoped that didn't mean I was crazy. It's just, occasionally I needed to talk through my problems. Nobody was around to listen and I didn't want to tell either of kidnappers what was on my mind anyway, so why not? Talking to myself seemed like the best option.

"I really don't want to see Harry. I'm not looking forward to if he comes back before I get out of here. I don't know what I'll do if I see him again... The last time I saw him he ràped me and then tried to kidnap me." I mused, picking at the chipped paint on the wall. "Although he did let me go; maybe the one decent thing he's done in his life. So why did he feel the need to change his mind and kidnap me anyway?"

I huffed in annoyance and stopped picking at the paint. I was bored out of my mind and longing to hold little Caspian in my arms. That little boy brought so much joy to my life and I couldn't stand being away from him for this long. It had been three days—much too long to be apart from my son. He was learning new things everyday and I didn't want to miss anything. I wondered if he missed me? I was sure Zayn was taking good care of him. Perhaps he dropped him off with my parents and was looking for me though. I hoped for the latter.

Suddenly the door opened and Liam poked his head in, a swipe of shaving cream on his jaw. "Time to clean the house. Come on out."

"You're really going to make me clean up your shît?" I asked.

"Yep, now get off your ass and come out here." He snapped back, swinging the door all the way open.

Deciding this was better than the other things they could do to punish me, I got off the bed and went to him. When I reached down for my shoes, he stopped me.

"Nope. You're going to work barefoot." He announced and grabbed my arm, pulling me along the hall and down the stairs.

I inwardly groaned when I caught sight of Louis lounging on one couch in the living room, a smirk on his face while I was led to the kitchen counter. Before letting me go, Liam bent down and suddenly there was something around my ankle. Hearing the clink and feeling cold metal, I looked down and discovered to my horror a chain attached to my ankle. The end of the long piece of chain was locked to a leg of the fridge.

Looking up with a scowl, I grumbled. "Take this off."

"Sorry, you earned it. This way we don't have to worry about you escaping. Now start with the kitchen. Cleaning supplies are under the sink. If you touch the knives or try to use anything against us, I'll hand you over to Louis got it?" Liam directed, crossing his arms over his muscled chest.

Fuming, I tried to control myself so I wouldn't get in more trouble as I responded coolly, "Yes, I've got it."

"Good. When you're done with the kitchen, the living room's next." Liam said, walking back up the stairs. When he disappeared at the top he called back as an afterthought, "Louis? If you touch her inappropriately I'll tell Harry."

Louis just rolled his eyes and slouched further into the couch, watching me. I hadn't moved from my spot, but soon made my way over to the sink. I shook my head in disgust, seeing a pile of crusty dishes with old food caked onto them. I swear that green fuzzy stuff was mold. The floor was disgusting as well as the counters. These boys were actual pigs.

After some time of scrubbing away dirt and grime and trying to ignore Louis' constant gaze, I finally finished the kitchen. Cleaning actually helped distract me, so it wasn't as miserable as I had expected it would be. The chain had made things difficult since it was uncomfortable and confining, but I'd managed. Liam then moved the chain from the kitchen to the living room and directed me on what to do.

I was dreading this part because Louis was still on the couch. He hadn't moved and was still watching me with a mischievous smirk. As I began to dust the furniture, I continued feeling his eyes on me and was becoming quite fed up.

Turning around, I boldly asked, "Isn't there something else you could stare at besides my behind?"

Caught red handed, but not the least bit ashamed, Louis simply snickered. "Not particularly. I quite enjoy seeing your ass move from side to side while you work."

"Well look at something else anyway. Or I'll knock you in the head with this vase." I pointed to a sturdy vase with fake flowers inside of it.

"Go right ahead. Then Liam will hand you over to me and I'll get to 'punish' you how I want." He laughed mockingly.

Shivering, I glared at him and turned away, secretly trying to calm my breathing so he wouldn't be able to tell how anxious I was. Even though I was talking back all the time and acting bold and confident, I felt completely vulnerable and powerless inside. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand a chance against them as the past had proven; so I was quite afraid of what they could do to me.

As I bent over a coffee table to dust the other side of it, I suddenly felt a presence behind me. Spinning around, I squeaked when I realized how close Louis was. He had moved from his couch and had come to stand directly behind me. He didn't touch me, but he was definitely trying to get as close as possible.

"Louis. Move so I can continue working." I requested, hating the way my voice became scratchy.

He simply grinned and shook his head, leaning closer so that I had to sit back on the coffee table. His hands were then placed near my hips on the table, trapping me there.

"Move." I said too quietly.

"Make me." He challenged, moving his face closer to mine.

As his mouth became much too close to my own, I turned my face away and cleared my throat. "Get away from me you sick fûck."

"Now what kind of language is that? Don't say such vulgar things to me." He admonished, shaking his head and inhaling deeply while his nose grazed my neck. "I forgot how tempting you smell. Fûck, I've forgotten so many things about you. I want you so badly."

"And I forgot how blunt you always are. Seriously Louis, get off me." I said more firmly, but my body was trembling now due to the close proximity. His fingers touched my black hair gently.

"I remember the way it felt to be over your small naked body. I remember the way you'd look at me while I fûcked you—complete terror. You were so afraid of me; still are...clearly. Don't think I can't see you shaking. Don't try to hide it. I like it when you're afraid of me. Makes me feel powerful." Louis spoke slowly and deliberately, leaning closer and closer until I almost fainted from breathing so fast.

"Louis...please move. Please." I whispered, realizing again how insane Louis seemed.

"But I've finally got you where I want you." He pointed out smugly.

"You will never take advantage of me again do you hear? You'll never have me naked beneath you again. So stop rubbing it in my face that you got to ràpe me back then because I don't want to be reminded! Just shut up!" I yelled in his face and he stepped back.

"Watch your tone. And darling. Mark my words; I will have you naked in my bed again. I can promise you that." He gave me a sassy look and then swaggered back to the couch, taking a seat again.

For the rest of the time that it took to clean the room, Louis didn't get up again. However he didn't hesitate to make comments on my cleaning abilities and tried to make me clean faster. Thankfully he didn't make anymore sexual advances. Finally, Liam moved me to a different room and Louis went up to his bedroom.

After several more hours, Liam decided I was finished and happily unchained me. "The house hasn't looked this good in a long time. Harry will be pleased."

Jerking my head up, I stared wide eyed. "He's not coming back is he?"

"He will sometime. I don't know when." He replied shrugging. "Oh, which reminds me. I have to leave in a couple days."

"What do you mean?" I said quietly.

Guiding me back to my room, Liam paused in the doorway. "I mean I have to leave in a few days to help Harry with something. And that means...well...that you'll be alone with Louis for at least twenty-four hours."

Tensing in anxiety, I shook my head firmly and pleaded. "I can't...no you can't do that to me. Liam-"

He held up a hand to silence me and shrugged. "Sorry, Scarlet. But Harry needs me and someone has to look after you."

"Why can't it be you?" I squeaked.

"It's complicated. The decision is final so there's no point in arguing. I'll give Louis a talk so he won't bother you." Liam tried to assure me as he backed out the door.

I reached out for him in desperation. "Liam you can't leave me alone with him! He can't control himself, he'll just end up losing it and then he'll take advantage of me! Liam!" I yelled as he shut the door on me.

He walked away while I continued shouting through the door, pounding on it with my fists. I hated how vulnerable I was. I couldn't do anything to protect myself. Kicking the door in frustration, I went to the bed and crawled under the blankets. Exhausted from working all day, I curled into a ball and prayed that Liam wouldn't leave me with Louis. That would only end in disaster.

But my hopes were crushed when three days later, Liam and Louis came into my room with solemn looks on their faces. Liam took a seat beside me while Louis stood to the side.

"Alright. Listen both of you." Liam began seriously. "I am going to be leaving in a few hours and there are some rules that need to be followed while I'm gone."

"Please don't leave me alone with him." I cut in quickly and Louis rolled his eyes.

Ignoring me, Liam continued, "Louis, you're not allowed to take advantage of Scarlet. Harry's orders. No ràping, fondling, kissing without consent, basically anything sexual is out of the question. Got it?"

Louis huffed, but nodded to my surprise. "Harry's orders."

"Good. And Scarlet? Obey Louis and don't disrespect his authority. He has full control over you so I expect you to listen to him and not talk back like you always do. He will punish you non sexually if need be. Understand?" Liam spoke to me.

It irked me how casual he seemed when talking of Louis ràping me. It was not a casual thing at all. "How about Louis goes and you stay?"

Liam sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't think you realize, but Louis isn't the only one struggling to keep his hands off you. I want to fûck you almost as much as he does. So, you're not that much safer with me."

Shifting uncomfortably, I scooted further back on the bed. "I just want to go home."

"Just say you understand so I can finish getting ready." Liam told me impatiently.

"No."

"Would you rather I lock both you and Louis in here together until I come back?" He quipped.

"Fine! I understand." I shot back, crossing my arms and glaring at them.

"Good girl." Louis smirked smugly.

"Shut up you piece of shît." I snapped irritably.

Louis laughed heartily at my comeback and slapped his thigh. "Oh, you and I are going to have lots of fun while Liam's away."

I could only sit there huddled on the bed with a scowl on my face while I wholeheartedly disagreed.


	12. When Louis' in Charge

"Scarlet let go of me." Liam ordered, trying to pry my hands off his arm as he attempted to push me back in my room. Today was the day he would leave to help Harry with something.

"Please don't leave! I'll be good. I'll clean your house. I'll make you food. I won't complain, just please don't leave me alone with him!" I begged him, digging my nails into his biceps.

"Ow! Let go!" He whined, working hard to get my hands to release him.

"You're just setting me up for disaster! You're sentencing me to death! Please!" I pleaded with him, but he just shoved me away harshly.

"Stop being so dramatic. I'll be back tomorrow." Liam said, easily overpowering me then and pushing me back into my room roughly.

"Dramatic? I have every right to be dramatic! Louis could ràpe me while you're gone!" I shouted at him, keeping my hand in the door so he couldn't shut it without crushing my hand.

"Then be thankful that if it happens, it wouldn't new to you." Liam snapped, moving my hand and slamming the door.

Shocked, I stood there, mouth open and shaking. Then I banged on the wood with my fists. "No! Don't leave me here!"

When I knew he was gone, I moved back to the bed and climbed onto it, sitting silently in dread. I heard the front door slam faintly and I cringed, knowing I was now alone with the worst of them. I half expected Louis to come barging in right then to take what he wanted, but I didn't hear any footsteps.

I craved to be safe once again in the loft holding Caspian while he played with his toys. It hurt how much I missed him in that moment. I felt helpless and vulnerable. I could be hurt at any time without warning and without any way to protect myself. I hated how afraid I was.

Surprisingly, I was left alone for quite a while, not a sound coming from outside the door. I decided that I'd be good until Liam got back, since the consequences for not cooperating would be much worse with just Louis in charge. But if given a chance to escape, I'd take it. I'd have a better chance of success with just one guy watching me.

When several hours passed and there was still no sign of life from the other side of the door, I began to feel hungry. But I wasn't about to call him. I wondered if he'd remember to feed me. Sometimes it seemed that he forgot I was human and not just some object to be used for his own enjoyment.

Suddenly the door knob rattled and it swung open, revealing Louis leaning against the doorframe casually. "Wanna eat?"

"Yeah, food." I responded, not moving from my spot.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then glared in disappointment. "It's no fun when you already know what I'm going to say."

When I didn't say anything back, he sighed deeply, as if this were a drag. “Come on then.”

Hesitating, I scooted off the bed and walked across the room, wrapping my arms around myself. The oversized hoodie I wore didn't seem like enough clothes to hide my body from his lustful gaze. When I neared him, he took a moment to look me over, obviously considering something in his head. He took a moment to scratch the stubble on his chin and then smoothed the bit of brown hair swooped down over his forehead. His good looks would never impress me because of the cruelness of his heart.

"Come on." He said and moved so I could exit the room.

Suspicious of his intentions, I cautiously followed him down the hall and down the stairs to the kitchen. He kept turning and looking at me even once we approached the island in the kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised to find two bowls of macaroni and cheese sitting on the counter.

Glancing at him, he shrugged and then sat down on one of the stools, pointing to the other one. "Sit."

Still incredibly suspicious and wary, I sat down and looked at my food, which was steaming. "You made this?"

"No, the rats did. Of course I made it." He sassed, taking a huge bite.

I remained silent and started eating, glad for the bowl of macaroni, even if it was incredibly unhealthy. Starving, I ate the whole bowl rather quickly and Louis asked if I wanted another. When I said yes, he spooned me more. It was almost uncanny how strangely normal he was acting. I wondered if Liam or Harry had given him a long talk before he was left alone with me. I was too afraid to ask.

After sitting in awkward silence while we ate, both of us were finished and he got up. "I cooked. You wash the dishes."

"You cooked? You just put the macaroni in a bowl and stuck it in the microwave. You can wash the dishes. I'm not your slave." I snapped, but then immediately regretted my outburst.

Almost instantly he grew defensive and his expression changed from docile to hostile. "I'm in charge here and you do what I say when I say it. Now wash the dishes, slave."

"Don't call me slave." I growled, folding my arms.

"Are you not obeying me? Because I'll gladly punish you if you don't cooperate." He warned seriously.

"I'm behaving. You're just being overly bossy." I shot back.

"Damn it Scarlet I'm trying so hard not to take advantage of you and you're not helping at all by provoking me on purpose. Just obey me before I lose it!" Louis yelled, slamming his fist onto the counter top.

Cautious, I fell silent and looked at him. I had definitely riled him up. Oops. "Okay. I'm...I'm sorry. I'll wash the dishes. Then can I go back to my room?"

"I don't know. I think you ought to be punished for being difficult." He scowled, watching me while I brought the few dishes to the sink.

"I'm doing what you wanted. There's no need to do that." I pointed out carefully and made some soapy water.

"I swear if you provoke me again, I'll do something you won't like." He warned behind me.

"I'll be nicer. Just...please don't touch me." I requested quietly.

"I want to."

"Louis, please don't. I couldn't handle it again. You don't understand the damage you did to me before." I said, washing the bowls slowly.

"And you don't know the torture I've gone through not being able to have sex since the last time with you. I could only use my hand in prison and even then the guards wouldn't let me." Louis said forlornly.

"You mean you haven't...ràped anyone else since me?" I asked, turning around.

"No, unfortunately." He shrugged.

"That's good." I continued washing.

"I can still remember the last time fûcking you. It was amazing." He said unexpectedly and I choked on my spit.

"How can you be so insensitive about it?" I murmured, wounded.

"It's normal to me. It's just something I've done for years. Like eating chocolate cake or stepping into a hot tub; it brings me pleasure. Only 100 times more pleasure." He said indifferently.

Trying not to become defensive and scream out everything wrong with what he just said, I took a deep breath. "I don't understand why you didn't just get a girlfriend who'd willingly do everything with you. You've ruined that chance. Now no girl will ever want to be near you."

"There've been plenty of willing girls. They just never knew about the ràping." He responded as I finished wiping the counters.

"I can't even talk about this with you. You're unbelievable and I just... Listening to you talk like that makes me sick. You're disgusting." I grimaced, moving toward the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"To my room." I said and started leaving but then his hand was suddenly wrapped around my arm.

Up till then they hadn't touched me too much so I was surprised and jumped back, yanking my arm away. "Don't touch me!"

He continued gripping my arm though and pulled me closer to him. I responded by panicking and struggling to be released. Louis attempted to keep my flailing arms contained as he lifted my wrist up to his face.

"What's this?" He asked, peering at my hand with curiosity and criticism.

When I realized he was talking about the ring on my finger, I attempted to hide it with my other hand. "It's nothing."

"Then you won't mind if I take it?" He tilted his head threateningly, squeezing harder and I yelped.

"Don't you dare take it from me!" I yelled, struggling even more to get loose.

"Then tell me about it. Who's the guy? Don't tell me it's Zayn." Louis mocked, easily overpowering me. "Cuz that guy is anything but husband material. I didn't think you'd be the type to want a ràpist fathering your children."

Boiling in anger, I freed one hand and slapped him hard. "I am done! Just shut up and leave me alone! He's nothing like you anymore."

"I don't see why he wants you anyway; a slût who's already slept with a handful of other guys." Louis gave me a pointed look, the slap having made him angry.

Horrified that he'd say something so awful to me, I screamed at him and punched him, kicking and scratching and doing as much damage as I could. "You bàstard! How could you say that to me! I hate you!"

With every hit, Louis became more and more angry. All at once, he shoved me violently and I fell back onto the ground. Standing over me arrogantly, he placed his hands on his hips. "I told you you'd regret it if you hit me again. Now go to your room. I'll be punishing you later."

Stunned, my mouth opened and closed, my fight gone. "Louis..."

"Do as I say. Now. Or I will make it worse for every second you spend sitting there wasting my time." He said, the casualness in his voice almost creepy.

"Louis! You can't touch me." I reminded him, standing to my feet and walking toward the stairs.

"I can do what I want. Get up there right now." He demanded, following me up the stairs.

"I'm sorry. You were saying terrible things and I couldn't just stand there and take it." I murmured solemnly as I approached my door.

He didn't respond. He simply pushed me through the door and closed and locked it. Standing in the middle of the room, I couldn't move, unable to believe what I just did to myself. I let him get to me. He was probably trying to make me angry on purpose just so he'd have an excuse to get what he wanted. That one word was running circles in my head, taunting me.

Punishment.

Chills erupted all over my body and I held in a whimper. Looking around the bare room, I searching for anything I could use to defend myself. There was nothing in the room but the twin bed.

Wanting nothing to do with the fear that began overtaking me, I jumped in bed and buried myself in the covers. I attempted to fall asleep so I wouldn't have to think about what might happen. If only Liam were here.

Suddenly I was being startled awake by the door opening. With no way to tell time, I didn't know how much time had passed and hadn't realized that I'd actually fallen asleep. Glancing toward the door sleepily, I gulped when Louis came in and shut the door.

"I've decided not to hurt you, though I desperately want to. And since I know Liam's punishments don't work on you, I'm going to do something bad, but not terrible." He told me.

Unable to respond, because I really didn't know how, I simply remained frozen in place. Louis looked determined, standing there in his maroon sweats and black shirt.

He announced seriously, "Because of your lack of respect and reckless disobedience toward me and my rules, I'm going to punish you by forcing you to sleep naked."


	13. Vulnerable

"Louis!" I gasped out, scrambling over to the far side of the bed to press my my back against the wall. I was utterly horrified. "You can't-"

"I can and will. I'm not ràping you. Be grateful." He spat out, remaining in place. "Get up and undress."

"No! I won't! Don't make me." I begged, clutching the blankets to my body. I felt way too vulnerable even when I was covered in clothes and blankets.

"If you refuse, I'll undress you myself and I can assure you, I'll let my hands wander to places you don't want them." He warned, still not coming near me.

"Louis..." I whispered, panicked. "Please. I'm sorry for hitting you. Please don't."

"Take your clothes off. If I have to tell you again I'm following through with my threat." His voice remained calm and determined while he still didn't approach me.

"But...but please. Can I..." In my panic, I wracked my brain for anyway to get out of this or make it less horrible. As it were, I wouldn't be escaping this one. There was no one to stop him and there was no way I could fight him off if he tried undressing me himself. "Can I undress under the covers? I'll take my clothes off I just...don't want you to see me. Please."

Scowling, he pursed his lips. "Fine. Hurry up."

Surprised he'd allowed that, I quickly laid down and awkwardly began removing my clothes under the protective covering of the blankets. Afraid he would jump on me and take advantage of my vulnerability, I couldn't help but tremble as I unclipped my bra and then slid my panties down my legs.

"If you're done, give me all of your clothes." Louis instructed.

"What?" I complained.

"Now. All of them. I'll give them back in the morning." He held his hand out and stood beside the bed looking down on me.

I pushed the clothes reluctantly off the bed and onto the floor, not allowing any part of my skin aside from my face to show. He picked them up, making sure they were all there. Once satisfied, he bundled them up and looked at me.

"Feel vulnerable?" He asked knowingly.

Rather than responding, I simply avoided eye contact and kept a firm grip on the covers.

He snorted. "Good. Hopefully you'll learn your lesson and behave next time. Nothing bad would happen to you if you would just respect us and behave."

He then turned the light off and left the room without touching me once. I was shocked he hadn't touched me. He left me in the dark and I felt anxiety rise, wishing he hadn't turned off the light. I had been leaving it on so I'd feel safe. But since I was too afraid to get out of the safety of the covers in case Louis came barging in, I remained in the bed shivering. It was too cold to not have clothes.

Unable to fall asleep because I was constantly worried that Louis would come in to go back on his word, I laid there silently and stiffly. Hours must have passed and still I couldn't close my eyes even though my body was exhausted. Every time I tried, my heart would start beating rapidly and I'd become wide awake with fear.

I kept telling myself I was brave. I had always been known to be the brave one. So why did I feel such suffocating fear? I suddenly remembered something Zayn had told me once. He'd said, "Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's being able to act in the face of it."

With that thought in mind, I tried again to close my eyes so I could fall asleep. As I did so, I could feel the panic rising inside my chest, but I fought it back, keeping my eyes shut tightly. Eventually it subsided and my heart calmed down. Every time I felt the panic rising, I'd remember Zayn's words and keep my eyes closed. Pretty soon I knew I could keep them shut without panicking. At some point along the way I felt myself drifting off, but a small sound brought me back.

Lifting my head, I peered into the darkness and saw a figure. Realizing it was Louis, I sat up and scrambled to the wall, gripping the covers in my clenched fists. This had better be a dream.

"Scarlet." He whispered.

"What do you want?" I responded just as quietly even though there was no one in the house to wake up.

"I need...uh." He murmured sleepily, coming nearer. "I need to sleep with you."

"What? No! You can't sleep with me! Go back to bed." I replied softly.

"No, not...I don't mean sleep with you like have sex. I mean I just need to lie beside you. I need...something. I can't stand it." His voice was croaky and rough from sleep. He seemed to be half asleep as he stood there.

"No, you can't. You said you wouldn't touch me." I insisted timidly, leaning against the wall as my breathing quickened.

"I'm not asking for your permission. I won't ràpe you, or touch you sexually. I just...need to feel your skin. I need to lay next to your naked body. I need something. I can hardly stand it. I think I'm going crazy not touching you." Louis mumbled, now standing at the edge of the bed while he hugged himself.

"Please don't." I whispered pleadingly.

"Just lay down. You'll be fine." He coaxed me. He was wearing sweats, but he had no shirt on and I could hardly let my eyes even glance at his torso without horrific memories of being used coming to me.

"No. Please don't do this. Please I'm begging you Louis. I'm begging you." I was trembling hard by now and I could feel tears slipping from my eyes as I struggled to accept the fact that I couldn't do anything about this. I was naked!

"Lay down. Come on." He placed a knee on the mattress and I whimpered and tried to scoot back further even though there was nowhere to go.

"Louis..." I cried.

"Lay down. It'll be fine." He said.

Slowly, I slid back down and lay on my back with my fists gripping the sheets in a death grip to my chest. Louis then lifted up the covers and climbed in next to me while I attempted to keep the blankets covering me completely.

He moved closer to me, but I rolled over and moved away right next to the wall. My face was practically touching the wall, but he moved closer. I gasped out when I felt his hand slide around my waist and settle on my bare stomach.

"Louis please!" I begged, squirming around so he'd move his hand, but he didn't.

"Relax. I just want to sleep with you. That's all. I just needed to feel you next to me." He whispered and then I felt his body spoon me. I felt utterly violated in my naked state even though he kept his sweats on.

"I don't want this. Please. You're making me feel filthy." I pleaded, squeezing my eyes shut and cringing while his hand wandered up and down my stomach uncomfortably close to my breasts and lower area.

"Shh, Scarlet. Close your eyes and sleep. I'm exhausted." He mumbled behind me.

"Please." I whispered in vain one last time.

When he fell silent, I couldn't stop myself from weeping silently in my fear and discomfort. I hated this. I couldn't wait until Liam returned. He wouldn't let this happen again and I was sure if I told him about this, he'd straighten Louis out...hopefully.

•••

Yawning, my eyes fluttered open to the feeling of my breast being squeezed. Alarmed and caught off guard, I jerked violently as I shoved Louis' hand away from my chest. In the bright light of the morning sunrise through the fogged window, I found that I'd turned to lay on my back in my sleep and Louis was slightly on top of me. I shoved him away and covered myself again.

He stirred and woke up just then, raising his head and squinting at me sleepily. "What's the idea? I was having an amazing dream."

Rather than responding, I simply leaned against the wall and blinked back at him. However he insisted on moving closer and I immediately felt something hard touch my thigh. Cringing, I shut my eyes in dread. "Please move away from me."

"Can't. I've gotta do something about this before I burst. Since you disturbed my dream, you can just finish it yourself." Louis smirked lazily and shifted up to lean on one elbow so he was above me. He nudged his hips against me and I flinched.

"I think it's time for you to go now." I stated calmly while my heart thudded madly.

"Come on. Just a little something? Put it in our mouth? Maybe even just your hand. Come on love. I'm hard as fûck and I need some help." He whined, trying to move over me.

"Don't!" I suddenly shrieked out, panic overtaking me when the covers were lifted off me to accommodate his body above me. My hands hid my chest and I struggled to get him off.

"Ow. It's too early for your shrieking. Shush." He complained and lowered himself down.

Not knowing what to do, I opened my mouth and screamed bloody murder right in his ear as my knee shot upward and made contact with his manhood. He groaned and rolled off me, covering his ears.

"You bîtch. Always having to ruin my fun with your kicks of death." He grumbled, holding his crotch in pain. "I'm surprised I can still use it."

"Get out Louis! Before I decide to suck it anyway and then bite it off permanently!" I shouted out angrily. "I'm not going to be bullied by you."

"You've certainly turned up the feistiness over the years. I remember you being more compliant." He mumbled, sitting up and looking at me huddled by the wall in a mess of blankets.

"Yes well. Back then you were threatening people I love. Now it's just me and I can take more risks." I responded coldly.

"Then maybe I'll just go find someone you love so you'll cooperate." He threatened and I boiled in anger and fear.

"I swear the next time you force me to put your dîck in my mouth I will bite it off. Mark my words." I hissed.

"You need to simmer down darling. How about a shower. Your week of no shower privileges is over. Good thing because you smell something awful." Louis scrunched his nose.

A shower actually sounded wonderful, but I was afraid of taking one without Liam here to enforce the rules. I desperately wanted one though, because my skin felt gross and my hair was disgustingly greasy.

Lowering my gaze, I sighed. "I'll take one once Liam comes back."

"You'll take one now. I promise not to interfere. But really, you need to wash yourself asap because it's nasty. Was Liam trying to punish you or us?" Louis prattled on pointlessly.

"I can't trust you not to interfere. So I'll wait." I decided.

"Why can't you just have a little faith in me once in awhile? I won't disturb you unless you take too long. Is fifteen minutes enough time?" He asked, seeming to have forgotten I kicked him moments ago.

"Uh... thirty would be better." I said quietly and he rolled his eyes.

"Twenty minutes and no longer. Come on. I'll give you your clothes after you've showered. Don't look at me like that. Just wrap a blanket around yourself and follow me. I'm not hard anymore. You wrecked the moment so don't act like I'm gonna pounce on you." He continued talking nonstop until I thought I'd go insane.

I wanted peace and quiet and to not have to listen to his ramblings. Maybe a shower was a good idea. Twenty minutes all to myself. I'd just have to risk it and hope Louis would stay out of the bathroom. I did as he said and wrapped a blanket around me so that only my feet and head were showing and then I followed him out of the room, down the hall, and into the bathroom.

He pointed out the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash and then left me alone, promising not to come in until twenty minutes had passed. I locked the door even though he had a key and then got into the tub. The water felt glorious on my dirty skin and I had to wash myself multiple times before I felt clean.

All the while I thought of nothing but Caspian and how much I missed him. I was worried about him. Was he okay with my absence or was he crying for me? Was he eating enough and getting enough sleep? I hoped my family was taking care of him alright. My heart ached for him. I'd never known a feeling like this.

"One minute!" Louis shouted through the door and I snapped back into reality, realizing I had lost track of time.

I cursed and jumped out of the shower, grabbing the fluffy towel and wrapping it around me while attempting to dry my body off. Just then the door opened and Louis took a step in, holding my clothes which were folded neatly, strangely enough.

"I washed them all last night. And I picked out a different hoodie for you from Harry's closet." He told me, handing the clothes over while he focused solely on my exposed skin.

"Okay...thanks." I replied as I gingerly took the clothes and purposely let the hoodie fall on the floor. "Oops."

"You have...mmm...one minute to get dressed. Starting now." He smirked and left, closing the door.

I locked the door and hurriedly began dressing. Somehow the bra was much more difficult to put on than unusual and I began to panic when I thought Louis would come in too soon. But just as I slipped the hoodie on and finished up, Louis opened the door.

He pouted, looking at me fully dressed again. "Really? I hoped that wasn't enough time."

"Good thing it was." I responded, walking past him into the hallway.

Taking hold of my shoulder, Louis turned me around and cornered me against the wall of the hallway. His bulk kept me from being able to bypass him as well as his arms on either side of my head.

"Now what should we do?" He asked, grinning like it was Christmas.

"How about you go downstairs and I'll chill in my room?" I suggested too enthusiastically.

"Hmm nah. I kind of prefer your company to the television's." he shrugged and leaned closer.

"I need to be alone for a while. I'm kind of...overwhelmed." My voice shook slightly when he lifted a hand to touch my jaw.

He ignored me however and stared down at my mouth instead. When I heard his breathing quicken and felt his body moved closer to mine, I tried to get out from between him and the wall.

"Louis." I squeaked, fed up with his constant state of horniness. "Get off!"

The moment he leaned in and tried to kiss my neck, I shoved him hard and hit his chest. Glaring at me, he squinted his eyes and raised a hand as if to strike me. Flinching, I prepared for the hit, but he hesitated.

"Resist again and I'll beat you." He threatened darkly.

Letting out a little gasp, I stared anxiously. "I'll tell Liam."

"Ugh you little brat just let me have some fun with you! That's what you're good for!" He yelled and then slapped my cheek.

"Ow!" I gasped and turned to run.

He grabbed me and shoved me back into the wall. I began to fight him as he worked hard to keep me where he wanted me, but I wasn't cooperating in the least. I hit, kicked, and shrieked for all I was worth hoping it wouldn't get me in an awful lot of trouble. I simply refused to give in without a fight.

When he managed to slap me once again, I heard another voice bellow, "Louis Tomlinson I thought I told you not to touch her!"

The scream died in my throat as the new voice met my ears and I jolted my head to the side. Pure surprise and terror ripped through me when I caught sight of him.

Harry was standing at the top of the stairs with a scowl on his face, yet he looked somewhat concerned at the same time. Looking away immediately as if seeing him would kill me, I pushed away from Louis and ran further down the hall. I didn't know what I was doing, but all I knew was that I needed to get away from Harry—the devil who nearly destroyed me.


	14. Look at Me

"Dammit Louis why don't you just leave if you can't keep your hands off of what's mine!" Harry roared.

"It's like you put the most tempting thing in the world right in front of my face and then told me I can't touch it. What did you expect?!" Louis yelled back.

Hearing Louis and Harry begin to argue heatedly, I blindly stumbled down the hall and opened a random door. When I knew Harry was following me, I went inside and slammed it shut. Glancing around, I realized this was one of their bedrooms and judging by the distinct scent, I knew it was Harry's.

I spun around, ready to leave right away, but then Harry walked in, preventing me from exiting. Turning away to face the large paned window, I hugged myself and bit my lip. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. He brought back way too many unwanted recollections and so I remained with my back to him.

From behind me I could hear his footsteps come nearer, so I stepped toward the window to keep distance between us. He stopped and I continued to stare out at the neighborhood, breathing irregularly. The hair on my skin stood upward.

"Scarlet..."

I shut my eyes. Just his voice gave me chills—and not the good kind. I could just remember the way his deep British voice was laced with authority as he ordered me to get on his bed, take off my clothes, or stop struggling. A quiet whimper escaped my mouth.

"It's really you." He said softly.

I wanted to say so many things. I wanted to yell in his face and demand to know why he would go back on his word. He told me I could go. Why had he taken me back after all these years? He certainly wasn't protecting me. But all of the words were stuck in my throat as I felt my body being taken over with panic and dread. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jerked away, standing directly in front of the window now so my breath was fogging up the glass.

"I don't know...what to say." Harry admitted behind me.

"Stop." I found myself asking. His voice was too much for me. I was about to go crazy.

"You look so beautiful. I don't think you've changed one bit. You're still slender but curvy. Your hair's still that impossible silky soft black. And your eyes...I almost forgot how clear blue they are. Look at me." He said in a gentle voice that would have been soothing if not for the fact that he was a ràpist who ruined my life.

"Let me go home. I want to go home." I said shakily.

"Scarlet...didn't they explain to you what's going on?" He asked.

My lip trembled and I flinched when his fingers brushed through my damp hair lightly. I shrugged away from his touch, not responding.

"Look at me." He said again.

"I can't look at you." I murmured, closing my eyes.

"Why not?"

"Just go away. Leave me alone." I shook my head.

Suddenly I felt his strong hands grab me and spin me around. Gasping, I ripped myself away from him and rushed to the side, finding his bed in my path. I moved to go around but he cornered me again so I stood with my hands clenched and eyes shut.

"I don't want to look at you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to have anything to do with you. Just let me go back to my family!" I cried out.

"You're staying here. That's that. I'm protecting you from a very dangerous-"

"Bullshît! You're just saying that so you have an excuse to keep me here for your own selfish desires." I shot at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Scarlet look at me. I need to see your eyes." He insisted, taking my arms again but this time I wasn't able to jerk free.

"Let go!" I gasped, twisting and wriggling around.

"Look at me!" Harry raised his voice, gripping me tighter.

"I can't do it." I repeated, ceasing my struggling and breathing hard.

"Yes, you can. Just open your eyes. It's not that hard." He coaxed me, moving one of his hands to my waist and I grimaced. "There's no need to tremble so much."

"Harry..." My voice cracked. "You don't understand."

It was his face that had haunted my dreams ever since that summer. It was he who penetrated my dreams, taunting me and forcing me to relive every moment with them. Seeing him again...it felt like I had never really escaped. He was here right in front of me—the one who first stole my virginity and then went on to destroy any innocence I had left. He destroyed my mind and sanity. But I had been doing so well before Louis and Liam kidnapped me. What would become of me now that Harry was back as well? He'd had the greatest effect on me, making me believe that I was only an object to fill his desires. I couldn't let him make me believe that again.

"Come on." Harry said again, his thumb rubbing my waist lightly which was not comforting in the slightest.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to be strong and just do it. First looking at his feet, I slowly brought my gaze up to meet his curious green eyes. My mouth went dry, but I refused to cry. He hadn't changed much. His face still held a sinister mischievousness and a light scruff was was barely visible on his jaw. He had a new haircut, probably from prison. Those stupid brown curls fell in his eyes but he didn't seem to notice or care.

His eyes squinted as he smiled his dimpled smile. His gaze traveled around my face to settle on my mouth and then the lightheartedness left his face.

"Your lips...I've forgotten what it feels like to kiss them." He murmured seemingly to himself.

"I'll slap you if you try." I warned quickly. "I'm not your toy anymore."

Rather than being put off by my words, he ignored them and continued staring at me unnervingly. Then I felt him start to fiddle with the bottom of the hoodie.

"You're wearing my clothes." He noticed, smirking smugly.

"Just the hoodie and it wasn't my choice. It's cold." I said with my eyebrows raised. I was trying hard not to seem afraid of him even though I was terrified.

"Hm." He hummed and then he lifted the bottom of it.

Stopping him quickly by grabbing his wrist, I couldn't mask the fear on my face.

"Shh. I'm not going to hurt you alright?" He reassured me and tried again but I wouldn't let him.

"Stop! Don't. Please." I begged him.

"I'm not taking it off. Calm down." He frowned and simply lifted the hoodie up to my belly button. "I just want to know if..."

Then I understood, allowing him to see my skin. I shook in nervousness as he lowered my sweats an inch. His slender fingers brushed across the area below my stomach and to the right. The inked words were faded, but they were still readable.

Property of Harry Styles

"You tried to have it removed." He observed in disappointment.

"I had one treatment, but it was expensive and I needed a couple more treatments before it would be gone completely. I needed the money for other things so I've left it alone for now. I'm getting it fully removed at some point though." I explained, fixing my clothes again.

"Don't. You need it." He shook his head.

Giving him a look, I tried to push past him but he took hold of me again, looking me in the eye uncomfortably close.

"You don't understand the danger you're in. There are men out looking for you." He told me seriously.

"I don't care! Just leave me alone and let me take care of myself! I don't need you to kidnap me and pretend like it's for my own good. I can protect myself. And I have Zayn and my family to help me." I rose my voice heatedly. I kept coming close to letting Caspian's name slip out, but I couldn't do that. Harry would never know.

"You know very little about me and what I'm involved in. The enemies I have are nothing to take lightly. The man who's after you won't treat you like I am." He said.

"Let's hope not you fûcking maniac!" I spat out.

"I mean he'll treat you ten times worse." Harry clarified and I rolled my eyes.

"What, like you told me Zayn would? Like you told me Zayn would ràpe me and leave scars all over my body? Well guess what dîckface. We're engaged!" I snapped, throwing my hands up in a mocking way, making sure he saw my ring.

"What?" Harry's face went white.

"Yeah that's right. So much for your lies. They didn't 'keep me safe.' They only made me hate you more." I hissed angrily, shoving him and walking to the door.

"Scarlet listen to me-"

"No! Shut up! I'll never trust you. You can tell me all you want about how I'm 'in danger,' but I won't believe it. I hate you. Stay away from me you fûcker." I flipped him off and then left the room, slamming the door.

Louis was right there when I exited, but I was filled with adrenaline and so I flipped him off too and stomped down the hall to my room. Louis wouldn't bother me now that Harry was here so I didn't care about making him angry. I shut myself in the room and went to the bed, falling onto it and hoping Harry wouldn't come in.

I couldn't believe I'd spoken to him like I had. Back then during summer if I'd said those things to him, I'd be sucking his dîck right now. He was certainly different now. He had plenty of time to think about everything in prison I was sure. Perhaps he had come to his senses and realized what he had done to me was completely wrong and disgusting.

Suddenly the door opened and I sat up, seeing Harry push Louis inside and then fold his arms expectantly. I watched in puzzlement as Louis glowered and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his sweats. He was clearly not happy.

"I'm sorry for violating you." Louis mumbled, giving me a death glare. Harry gave me a warning look.

"Uh...thanks." I replied simply.

"Say you forgive him." Harry instructed.

"But I don't." I said.

"Scarlet."

"Harry." I sassed.

"See what I've had to put up with?" Louis grumbled to Harry.

"By the end of the day you will make amends with Louis or else." Harry told me, but I just rolled my eyes.

"Or else what? You'll make me wash the dishes?" I scoffed when I noticed Liam standing in the hall. He frowned at me.

"No, I'll just put you over my knee and give you a proper spanking. Now stop with the attitude." Harry warned again and pushed Louis out before shutting the door again, but remaining inside with me.

Taken aback, but not about to let my pride be crushed, I rolled my eyes and laid back down. Fine, I would "forgive" him. Whatever. Because of Harry's behavior toward me, I felt like I could test them more than normal. I would just go as far as I thought was safe. I also needed to figure out how to get out of here, wherever "here" was.

"So..." Harry breathed, scratching the back of his neck. "Was that the only time he bothered you? When I came in on both of you?"

"No. He made me sleep naked and then forced me to let him sleep in my bed with me." I told him and his lips pursed together.

"That damn troublemaker." He muttered under his breath. "I'll take care of it. It wouldn't hurt if you tried to be more respectful and cooperative though."

"It wouldn't hurt you if you tried being less of an asshole and let me go home." I shot back.

I noticed anger briefly flash in his eyes, but he quickly tried to compose himself. "I'm honestly trying to be nicer to you. But if you keep acting like that I'll have no choice but to put you back in your place. Understand?"

Glaring at him, I scooted back on the bed and nodded. "Whatever."


	15. Now That He's Back

I was made to come downstairs for dinner even though I pleaded with them to let me stay in my room alone. Liam, Harry, Louis, and I all sat around the kitchen table eating our food in silence. They had only made macaroni and cheese, but everyone seemed oddly enthralled with their bowls, except for Harry.

He was intently looking at me, making me incredibly uncomfortable and anxious. I could feel his eyes watching my every move as I ate as quickly as possible. I refused to look back at him, which I could tell annoyed him.

It was clear he was trying to think of something to say, because he kept opening his mouth and then closing it again. Pretty soon I was done eating and pushed my bowl away, scooting my chair back.

Louis spoke up immediately, "You can just sit your ass back down again because you're washing the dishes when we're done."

I paused, glaring at him, "Actually, I'm going upstairs now so you can take your dishes and shove them up your-"

"Scarlet, he said sit down. So sit down." Harry interjected before I could finish and pulled my arm which caused me to plop into my seat.

I jerked my arm away from him and masked my emotions despite the fact I was nervous and uncomfortable. All I wanted was to be away from all of them so I'd feel safer. Right now I wasn't safe at all when they had the power to do whatever they wanted to me.

"You do owe him for being so rude. Washing the dishes will suffice." Harry told me, patting my hand but I moved it away quickly.

"I swear if you touch me one more time you'll be sorry." I grumbled.

"Look, Scarlet," Harry began with a sigh and leaned closer to me, "I know you don't want to be here, but you have to be for your own safety. We're actually your best shot at survival which means you have to listen to us. So I suggest you start treating us with respect so we don't have to put you back in your place. Because even though you'd hate that, each one of us would love it. You know what I mean don't you?"

Feeling shivers race up my spine, I stared at him and whispered, "You don't mean you'd...ràpe me do you?" I could barely say the word without tearing up.

"Not like we used to...exactly. But something sexual may happen if you continue being smart-mouthed. So stop it." Harry warned seriously.

"I just...need to be alone. Can I please go back to my room?" I breathed, horror rushing through me as I struggled to control my anxiety. Harry's presence seemed to elevate my anxiety problem.

"No. Wash the dishes first, then I'll consider." He decided and Louis smirked.

"How can you claim to be protecting me when you basically just admitted you would ràpe me if I'm rude to you?" I asked, turning to him.

He blinked, glancing down at my mouth briefly. "I'm protecting you. You have to trust me on that. And my threatening you is the only way I know to get you to obey me."

"Bullshît. You're lying." I mumbled, standing up and gathering the bowls carelessly. They clattered together loudly.

"I'm not! Someone is searching for you and he will not treat you well. He's sent messages to us saying he'll hurt you." Harry insisted, standing up as well.

"I'll never believe you. All you've ever done is lie to me. About Zayn, about the other girls you ràped at camp. I'll never trust what you say." I shot at him harshly, picking up the stack of bowls and forks and walking toward the sink.

"Damn it Scarlet I'm telling the truth this time. You have to believe me." Harry said urgently and grabbed my wrist to stop me.

I was startled by his sudden touch and my hands jerked, which resulted in me dropping the bowls. The whole pile crashed to the floor and shards of glass and pottery scattered all around me. The loud noise and the closeness of Harry scared me and my heart pounded madly.

"I told you not to touch me!" I cried, stepping away as my eyes filled with tears. I could feel a panic attack coming on and I tried to fight it off but I couldn't.

I slumped to the tiled floor, disregarding the broken pieces of bowls and covered my face with my hands. When I began to hyperventilate I started crying and felt Harry's presence next to me. I scooted to the side, shrinking away from his outstretched hand as if it were a plague. I felt helpless and stupid, but I wasn't in control of myself at the moment.

During these attacks I usually had Zayn to comfort me and help me through them, but he wasn't here now. I was alone, forced to fend for myself, protect myself, comfort myself.

"Please...just take me home. I want to go home. I need to see Zayn and my s...my family." I blubbered, still covering my face and sobbing. I felt pathetic huddled there crying and freaking out, but I physically couldn't help it.

"I...can't." Harry responded quietly.

He let me sit there for a few minutes without touching me so I could gain control again. I was still shaking and crying when he tried to get me to stand up again.

"Come on, let's get you off these glass pieces. You'll cut yourself." He suggested.

When he spoke, all I could think of were memories of the past. They continued flashing into my mind and wouldn't let me calm down. The anxiety kept me frozen there as I recalled when he had first forced me to give him a blowjob. I remembered he made me do that on multiple occasions, as did the other two boys.

"Scarlet, come on. Stand up." Harry said.

"Fûck off! Just leave me alone!" I shrieked at him and stood up quickly. "Just stay the fûck away from me you pig!"

More tears came as I ran from them and up the stairs. I could feel all of them tense when they thought I would run for the door. But I knew I would have no chance of escaping at a time like this. I went straight to my room and went in, slamming the door. They left me alone for quite some time which I needed desperately. My anxiety slowly went away so I could drift off to sleep.

But my dreams were interrupted when someone came into the room. I sat up sleepily, holding the covers in my hands and squinting at Harry.

"You left the light on." He said as he flipped it off.

"No don't! Turn it back on." I requested, hating how dark the room was without light.

"You can't sleep with it on." He shook his head, coming nearer to me.

"Yes I can. Turn it back on. Please, I want it on." I asked, growing nervous when he was standing beside the bed.

"You're a big girl. You don't need the light on." He said and I suspected he was making fun of me.

When he moved to sit down, I scooted to the wall. "Get away from me."

"Scarlet I'm just-"

"Get out Harry. I won't let you use me again. Now get the fûck out." I pointed to the door.

Harry sighed, sitting down anyway and ignoring how I made a point to scoot as far away from him as possible. "Listen, I'm not going to fûck you. You can keep your clothes on. I'll keep my clothes on. I just want to talk."

"Forgive me for being untrusting after that summer I spent being abused by you everyday." I spat out irritably.

In the dark I could see him purse his lips as if trying to remain calm. He swung his legs up onto the bed and crossed them, folding his hands in his lap. "Would you try to keep the smart comments to yourself for a few minutes? I'd like to have a normal conversation."

"Normal." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

Suddenly his hand flew to my chin and he grabbed it, forcing me toward him. I was too surprised to react right away. "Stop it alright?"

Glaring, I pulled my face away because his was much too close me. I didn't answer, but instead leaned against the wall and fell silent.

"Good girl." He smirked and moved closer to me. "Now. How are you doing?"

Giving him a "really?" look, I simply turned away and didn't respond. His hand brushed my arm and I shivered, yanking my arm back into myself.

"Come on. How are you?" He repeated and I could feel him shift closer to me.

"I'd be better if you weren't so close." I whispered, attempting to keep my voice from shaking.

"I promise I won't touch you sexually. It's okay, you don't have to be afraid of me." He told me and I was actually surprised at the gentleness of his tone. "I honestly want to know how you're doing. Just tell me. Without being sarcastic."

Feeling small and helpless, which I hated, I shrugged. "I hate being here."

"I know that. What are you feeling?" He pressed, his shoulder brushing mine.

I didn't move away this time because I knew he would just keep trying to get closer until he had to use force. I shook my head. "Fear. Helplessness. I hate it."

"What are you afraid of?" He asked.

I looked at him like he was stupid. "Of you. Of all of you. Of never knowing if you're going to lash out and hurt me or touch me. I hate being touched."

"Do you let Zayn touch you?" His question caught me off guard. I could hear the edginess in his voice. He was clearly jealous.

"That's none of your business. Don't ask me about my personal life." I told him firmly.

"I'll ask you about anything I like, and you'll tell me." He said. "Does he touch you?"

"Hm. Guess you'll never know." I shrugged sassily.

"Damn you're so stubborn!" He mumbled, clenching his fists. "Sometimes I miss the days when I could simply...never mind."

I shot him a look, pulling my knees to my chest and hugging them. I hated him so much.

"What do you see in Zayn anyway? He's just like us." Harry grumbled.

"He's not like you at all! Maybe he was once, but unlike you, he realized the wrongness in his behavior and changed. He's different now. He'd never hurt anyone unless they were trying to hurt me." I told him angrily.

"Mhm, sure. So you can look past the fact that he once ràped five girls in one night? That he helped me sell all the other girls from camp? That he-"

"Harry stop!" I raised my voice, sitting up and turning to him. "Don't do you this to me. He's not like that anymore!"

"Tell me it doesn't bother you. Does the fact that he would help us take girls off the streets and use them for the night bother you?" He asked me harshly.

"Shut up!" I shouted, covering my ears. Yes, it bothered me. But Zayn wasn't that person anymore. People change and I had forgiven him because he was genuinely repentant and desperate to change his ways. But was that enough?

"Zayn was once me, you know. Would you marry me if I decided to just change one day and stop ràping you?" He continued, ignoring the fact that I was about to go crazy.

"No. Please just stop Harry." I begged, ready to get off the bed altogether but he grabbed me. "Harry!"

"Scarlet." He said my name and pulled me into him, struggling to keep me on the bed.

"I won't ever have positive feelings toward you okay?" I squeaked.

"Yes you will." He insisted, wrestling me onto my back.

Panic swept through me once I was laying down and he was over me. I used all my strength to try to release my wrists from his grasp, but he simply held them down so I wouldn't hit him. And then I laid still, knowing I couldn't get out of this, but my heart was beating rapidly in fear. He stared at me, curiosity and fondness in his expression. I shifted and squirmed a bit, but he didn't seem to be bothered.

"I don't think you'll ever understand what I feel for you, Scarlet." He whispered thoughtfully, his gaze wandering around my face.

"What you feel is lust and nothing more." I told him.

"It's not just your body that gets me, though I am incredibly attracted to you. It's your mind also. You...you're so brave. Even after everything I've done to you. And you'll put yourself in harms way to keep people you love safe. It's...admirable." He frowned slightly and lowered his face so that his lips were an inch from touching my jaw. "I want that."

I trembled, overwhelmed with his closeness and I could barely breathe. "You want what?"

"To be more like you." He said.

I was actually shocked at what he said. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated, thinking a moment while he studied the skin of my neck closely. "I just...want to learn to love like you do."

I thought about that for a minute. If he was being honest and real, then that meant he could be trying to change. But I couldn't let myself believe that he was, because what if he was just playing me? I couldn't allow myself to trust anything he said, so I disregarded it.

"Anyway..." he cleared his throat and nestled his face in the crook of my neck. "I'm sleepy. Let's sleep."

"Would you please leave so I can sleep then? You can't sleep with me." I spoke softly.

"Shh. Close your eyes. I'm exhausted. I don't have the energy to take advantage of you even if I wanted to. I just want to lay here and snore with you." Harry mumbled, obviously not going anywhere anytime soon.

"Please." I whispered longingly.

He didn't respond though. He only started breathing heavily against my neck and I was afraid to wake him up and push him off for fear of making him angry and then having bad things happen. I simply turned my face away and prepared for another sleepless night.


	16. Eavesdropper

"You'll be fine. I won't let anyone disturb you while you're in the shower." Harry told me emphatically while I stood with my arms crossed outside the hall bathroom.

"I don't trust any of you. I'm fine without a shower." I insisted, refusing to enter the bathroom.

Harry sighed and held out the grey towel. "You took showers before this just fine. I promise we'll stay out until you're done."

"Oh I'm very well acquainted with your 'promises.' Remember when you 'promised' to leave me alone for my birthday? Mhm yeah. You changed your mind and let Louis and Liam ràpe me in the kitchen. Forgive me if I don't trust you." I snapped, glaring at him.

"Scarlet." His voice was losing all gentleness fast.

"Maybe if someone was guarding the door, but obviously I wouldn't want any of you to guard it. If only Niall was here...where is he anyway? Did he escape too?" I changed the subject.

"He's not here. Don't try to get out of this." Harry stepped forward.

"But where is he though? For real?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"You're showering even if I have to wash your body myself. Now get in there right this second, because you know I would."

"You're such a jerk!" I declared and grabbed the towel.

"And wear these clothes. I'll wash the ones you're wearing." He said giving me a pile of clothes which looked like his.

"I'm not wearing your clothes." I responded.

"Fine with me. I'd rather you went naked anyway." He smirked.

Grumbling, I snatched the clothes and went into the bathroom, slamming the door. I took a moment to breathe while I tried to get my hands to stop shaking with nerves. He hadn't left my side since we woke up. I needed a break from him. It was still unbelievable to me that he was here once again.

The shower was much needed and comforting. Surprisingly he stuck to his word and I wasn't disturbed during my shower. I got out and put on Harry's sweats, t-shirt, and hoodie. It was still pretty cold in the house. Did they not believe in heat or something?

Enjoying my time with myself, I inspected myself in the mirror. The bruises were mostly gone by now and my body had stopped hurting from Louis' brutality. I still had cuts from my struggle trying to evade them though. I ran my fingers through my wet hair, thinking of Caspian and Zayn and wondering how they were doing.

After blow drying my hair and spending way too much time standing there pointlessly, I wondered why the guys hadn't checked on me by now, not that I cared. Opening the bathroom door, I didn't see any of them. I stepped out and wandered along the hall quietly. Were they testing me?

Catching the faint sound of voices, I crept along the hall to the top of the stairs. I remained behind the corner of the wall so I wouldn't be seen and stood there listening. All three of them were down there talking.

"What do you think Liam?" Harry asked. They were all sitting in the living room on the couches.

"Honestly, I'm more on Louis' side. I really miss how it used to be." He said.

"See? Both of us want it. And it would help us keep her line. She needs to know her place." Louis added.

"But I...I let her go. I expected to never see her again. I never planned to have her with me after that—she shouldn't even be here. I just...don't know what to do." Harry's voice grew quieter.

"Take what's yours. She's yours mate. She's your property. If you keep acting like this, people are going to question your power and they'll try to take advantage of your weakness, which is already happening with the idiot who's trying to find Scarlet." Louis expressed himself dramatically.

"Things have changed." Harry responded. "I had a lot of time to think in prison."

"So then what? We'll just let her throw fits and talk back to us and let her get away with it?" Louis asked frustratedly.

"No?" Harry debated, sounding conflicted. "She has to behave."

"How will you get her to do that? Making her clean and taking away meaningless privileges hasn't worked." Louis continued.

"The answer is so obvious, but I'm not sure I want to resort to that. We all can see how much we messed her up before." Harry observed.

"She's nothing to us. Why do you care about how she'll respond? She's just our toy." Louis said and I was tempted to run down there and punch him for being so insensitive. I was shaking with anger and fear.

"Louis, you only want me to agree to go back to our old habits so you can fûck her. Just use your hand." Harry complained.

"I miss using her. She was one of my favorite fûcks. I always liked it when she struggled." Louis said as if remembering some wonderful memory.

I felt sick. He was disgusting and horrible.

"I know mate, me too. But things change. Now I feel like...I want...never mind." Harry cut himself off.

Liam sighed and spoke up finally, "Well if either of you values my opinion, not likely, I think it would be best if we were firmer with her. Even if we don't fully fûck her, since Harry doesn't want to, making her give us head would definitely make her obey us. She'd lose her rebelliousness because she wouldn't want the consequences."

"Hm." Was all Harry said in response.

I covered my mouth with my hand and leaned against the wall in horror. They couldn't do that! I wouldn't let them.

"At least we ought to do what Liam said. This is getting out of hand. She's getting too comfortable and isn't afraid to hit us these days. That is not okay." Louis spoke in annoyance.

"You're right it's not okay for her to hit us. But Louis, you can't hit her back. She's fragile. You've gotten much stronger and she's still small and breakable. Don't hit her." Harry said firmly.

"Fine." Louis muttered. "Sorry. Sometimes I just can't stop myself."

"I know...just try." Harry replied sympathetically.

I was in a house full of psychos.

"So your decision?" Liam asked.

Harry groaned and I heard shuffling. "Here's what'll happen. We leave her alone if she behaves. If she disrespects us, is violent toward us, or disobeys us...well. We'll have to get sexual. But you have to come to me if you feel she needs to be punished that way. I'll decide."

"So there's a chance we might get to fûck her?" Louis asked.

"No." Harry answered quickly, but then changed his mind, "Yes? I don't know. Just let me think on that."

I whimpered softly in horror. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They were animals! I wanted to march down there and tell them off, but having heard their conversation, I knew that would not end well for me. Now I couldn't defend myself at all. They would take advantage of me if I did.

When I heard the bottom stairs creak, I freaked out and scampered back to the bathroom and hurried inside. I closed the door and sat on the counter, pretending like I'd been there the whole time.

There was a knock on the door, but I ignored it. The door swung open, banging into the wall and Louis came in confidently. "Personal time is over now. Harry wants you."

"I'm tired. I'd like to sleep." I responded, jumping off the counter.

"Later. Come with me." He tilted his head toward the door.

Following him reluctantly, he led me the opposite way and I hesitated. Louis glanced back, raising one eyebrow. "Well?"

"Why are we going that way?" I asked quietly.

"Because Harry's room is this way. Now stop dilly-dallying." He ushered me forward.

Biting my lip, I cautiously followed, not knowing what to expect. He opened Harry's door and waited for me to catch up. When I was near enough, he gripped my arm and made me enter the bedroom. I winced at tightness of his grip and rubbed my arm when he let go. I looked around while Louis closed the door and saw Harry standing near his bed. Liam stood to the side.

"Um. Hi." Harry said to me stiffly, running a hand through his curls.

"What do you want?" I asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"There's something that needs to be done. You won't like it, but I promise it's not a punishment." Harry spoke up, clasping his hands together.

"Uh..." I murmured nervously, seeing the solemn looks on both Harry and Liam's faces. "What do you mean?"

"Just...do as I say and you won't be punished, understand? I need your full cooperation." He directed, more confidently.

"I...I'm a little lost. What is going on?" I tried to keep my voice from shaking.

"Will you do exactly what I say or am I going to have to punish you?" Harry asked pointedly.

I was about to spit out something rude, but then I remembered their conversation downstairs and thought better of it. I desperately didn't want them to punish me sexually. "I...guess so. Depends."

"That's an improvement from your past responses. Now, first get on my bed and lie on your back." Harry commanded, pointing at his large bed.

Panic filled me instantly. "What?"

"Do it now, Scarlet. I promise you will be extremely sorry if you don't obey me." He pursed his lips.

"But what are you going to do?" I wanted to know, shrinking back before I remembered Louis was behind me.

"If I have to tell you again, you'll be punished." Harry warned.

I was about to obey, but then I looked behind Liam at the nightstand. Sitting on top of it I spotted zip ties, rope, and...

My eyes grew wide in horror. "No! No, you can't do that to me again!"

"Liam, I told you to hide it until we were ready." Harry grumbled irritably. "Scarlet, get on the damn bed."

"No, Harry. You can't tattoo me again!" I cried, shying away when Liam picked up the tattoo gun on the nightstand and inspected it.

"You tried having it removed. I need to fix it. It's faded." Harry told me seriously.

"No you don't. I don't need it. Do you have any idea how much it cost to have this much removed? I swear if you try-"

"Get on the fûcking bed Scarlet!" He suddenly screamed and I faltered.

After a moment of silent surprise from everyone, he came to me faster than I was prepared for and grabbed me. He yanked on my hair harshly, forcing my chin up so I was looking straight into his eyes. At the frustration in his expression, I grew scared.

"Either you let me tattoo you now, or you can suck all of our dîcks and then be tattooed." He said sternly.

I couldn't help it when a whimper escaped. "Please." 

Harry yanked me over to his bed, but I still tried to stay away from it. And then all three of them were in front of me. Louis moved forward and shoved me back onto the bed. Harry struggled to keep me on my back while Liam came with zip ties. My wrists were zip tied to the headboard and then my legs were tied with rope to the bottom corners of the bed. I felt completely vulnerable in this spread eagle position, even with my clothes still on.

"What do you say we have a little fun with her first? She caused quite a bit of trouble." Louis suggested, running a hand along my thigh, higher than I could handle. He smirked while I squirmed to get away, but couldn't.

"Let's just tattoo her first." Harry sighed deeply and gestured to Liam.

"You want me to do it?" Liam asked.

"You're better at it than me." Harry shrugged, then mumbled under his breath, "Fûcking Zayn isn't here to do it anymore."

I was positive he said that so I could hear it on purpose.

"Please don't. This is wrong. You can't draw on my body like this!" I begged them in vain.

"You need this tattoo. If anyone happened to find you and wanted to hurt you, they'd leave you alone because of the tattoo. I am a feared man." Harry tried to explain.

"I don't care! I don't need it!" I cried, squirming while Liam sat next to me and got ready.

"We should pull her pants down so they won't get in the way." Louis suggested.

"No! Please don't! Harry, please!" I pleaded, hating how helpless and at their mercy I was. I could do nothing.

"We'll just go like this." Harry said, sliding my sweats down only slightly so that my private area was not exposed.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't stop trembling and wriggling around, tears spilling from my eyes. "Harry..."

He refused to look at me and instead helped Louis hold me down while Liam went to work, sliding the gun along my tender skin. There was no going back now. I winced at the sharp pain, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before when I had no idea what the feeling was.

I could only lay there helplessly and cry while they took control of my body and put there stamp of ownership on me. The sensitive skin at my right hip was sore when Liam finished and their hands were removed from me. I didn't look at it. I didn't want to see the fresh black ink over the faded original words.

"So how shall we punish her then for being difficult?" Louis quipped brightly.

"The tattoo was punishment enough. She's spent." Harry waved a hand at me and Liam started releasing my bonds. Louis glared at me.

When I was released, I couldn't sit up, for I was in such deep despair. My tears stained my face, but I couldn't sob. I turned over to face away from them and curled in on myself. I was helpless, trapped—stamped by my captors like an object. That's what I felt like; an object.

"Let's go downstairs lads. She's been punished enough." Harry said and I heard their footsteps slowly leave the room.


	17. He'll Never Be Prince Charming

Skimming my fingers over the new tattoo a while later, I wandered around Harry's bedroom and nosily looked at all his things. I didn't care one bit about his privacy.

They had left me alone for quite some time so I wasn't worried about being caught. I found a small glass statue of a ship sitting on his dresser. It reminded me of his ship tattoo. I picked it up and inspected it. The detail was disturbingly good. Feeling the need for vengeance, I let it slip from my fingers and it crashed to the floor, scattering into numerous broken pieces. Shrugging with a smirk, I moved on and rifled through other junk on the dresser.

I wanted to make a wreck of his entire room, but I knew that would get me in trouble. The statue would do for now and I could claim it was an accident, not that they'd believe me. I looked in his drawers and searched underneath all his clothes for anything valuable, but found nothing but some pictures of naked women. I tore the pictures in half and then took a few of his favorite shirts out and tore discrete little holes that he wouldn't be able to blame me for, but he'd have to throw them out. I tried not to breathe in his strong scent that was all over the clothing.

Not satisfied, I looked for anything valuable that I could ruin. I went to his bedside table and opened the drawer, rifling through all the random objects there. I flinched and drew back when I found countless condoms scattered through the drawer. I took them all out and dropped them behind his dresser so he wouldn't be able to find them. He would just think one of the boys stole them.

When I went back to the drawer, I noticed a small button hidden by a little box. I pushed it and the bottom of the drawer flipped upward, revealing a secret space underneath it. It was only large enough to fit the deep red journal that was sitting there. Glancing back at the door, I carefully took it out and opened it up.

When I opened up the cover, realized he had taped pictures to every page. The first page caused my heart to clench in disgust. He had taped down a picture of me during the first day of camp. It was of me walking around the bonfire toward Harry and I had a genuine smile on my face as I watched my friends giggling at me from a few chairs over. Little had I known that I would soon be sitting beside the devil himself. There was a caption below it that read:

“She was happy then.”

Frowning, I turned the pages and realized they were all pictures of me at Camp Harmony. Most of them were stalker-ish pictures taken when I was alone or with my friends. There were a few of me trying to block the camera. I remembered how they would sometimes try to take pictures of me, but it wouldn't happen very often because we weren't supposed to use our phones at all.

Chills erupted through me when I found a picture of me and Harry in his bed—him over me with my hands pinned and he was kissing my neck while he...

It was captioned: “My favorite thing to do with her<3”

I nearly burst into tears so I quickly turned the page, anger burning within me. I hated him more than anyone could fathom.

More pictures came up of me indecently dressed or not dressed at all, being bullied or taken advantage of. How had I not noticed them sneaking pictures of me? The last one was clearly taken by one of the boys spying on Harry and I. We were standing outside their cabin and I was looking sad while he was cupping my face, his mouth closed. His gaze was on my lips as if he were going to kiss me. I was always intimidated by that intense stare he had. “I never knew I could love someone until I met her,” the caption read.

"You sick fûck, you don't love me at all." I muttered under my breath, slamming the journal closed.

I realized then that the cover wasn't simply red—it was scarlet. Shoving it back where I found it, I closed the secret nook and closed the drawer. Harry had some sort of disturbing obsession with me. He didn't love me. Feeling the tattoo again, I shut my eyes tightly. You don't treat people you love this way.

When I heard footsteps outside the door, I dove back onto the bed and curled up like how I was. The door opened slowly and someone walked in. I pretended to be asleep.

"Scarlet? Time to go back to your room." He spoke softly with a gravelly voice while he rubbed my arm.

Pretending to wake up, I stirred and breathed in deeply, flicking his hand away from me. I rolled onto my back and looked up at him with a frown.

"I'm hungry." I whispered.

"Oh, right. You haven't eaten all day. Come to the kitchen with me." He said and tried to help me sit up but I moved away from him and got off on the other side of the bed.

Walking swiftly to the door, I went to open it but he quickly blocked my way and looked at me with a frown. "Why do you..."

He shook his head and left the room, pulling me out with him and then he pulled me all the way downstairs while I tried to get out of his hold. The other two were in the living room watching a movie, but they looked up when we passed by them.

Harry sat me down on a stool on the bar. "Stay there."

I gave him a sassy look and turned around to see what they were watching. Harry mumbled something under his breath and began putting some food together. Louis and Liam went back to looking at the screen. It was some action movie I'd never seen before and looked stupid, like the director tried too hard to make it cool.

"Salad or squash?" Harry asked me.

"Neither." I responded without even turning his way.

"You need vegetables, Scarlet. Choose one." He sighed.

"Salad." I muttered.

"Good girl." He responded, pleased, and I cringed.

Louis glanced back and smirked at me while I stuck my tongue at him. He simply snickered and whispered something to Liam who slapped him upside the head. Louis threw a pillow back at him.

After a while, Harry set a bowl of chicken Alfredo and a plate of salad in front of me. Surprised at how non-boring the meal was, I began eating gratefully.

"Thanks." I said out of habit.

Harry glanced at me surprised. "You're welcome."

"You gave her the rest of the Alfredo? I was going to eat that." Louis spoke up in disappointment.

"Is it impossible for you to not act like a child for two seconds? Seriously, grow up you whiny ass dîckface." I said louder than I intended.

I felt worried for a second when Louis' face grew sour, but then I heard a muffled laugh come from Harry who was covering his mouth.

"Sorry." He told Louis, failing miserably at hiding his amusement as he guiltily couldn't hold in his laughter.

He glanced at me and then burst out laughing, hiding his face in his arms which were resting on the countertop. Louis rolled his eyes, but I could see a smile on his face before he turned back around to the TV.

Harry's shoulders were shaking as he silently laughed into his arms and I felt my mouth trying to curl into a smile, but I wouldn't let myself laugh with my ràpist. So I continued to eat while biting back a smile. It had just been so long since I'd seen Harry laugh.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and everyone stopped moving. Liam turned the volume of the movie down and the mood went instantly back to serious. In a flash Harry had leaped over to me and jerked my back into his chest as he slapped a hand over my mouth before I could call out for help. I nearly fell backward off the stool.

As Louis walked quietly over to the door, I struggled in Harry's tight grip and kicked my legs as I flopped off the stool. He held tighter and whispered harshly, "Scarlet if you make a sound and whoever is out there hears you, I swear to god that I will take you upstairs and ràpe you in my bed until you can hardly stand. Do you understand me?"

Fear racing through me, I nearly fainted as I ceased struggling and let him hold me. Whimpering, I watched Louis look through the peephole and then he turned back, making an okay sign. Harry's grip loosened and I tried to move further away.

Louis opened the door and moved aside to let someone inside and in walked a familiar blond Irishman with a bag slung over his shoulder. I was so surprised that I ceased my struggling all at once, eyes wide.

"Niall?" I mumbled behind Harry's hand.

He looked over at me and his small smile suddenly vanished. He quickly looked away and turned to Louis who had just closed the door. Louis was trying to look indifferent, but I could see he was pleased to see his friend.

"You didn't tell us you were coming back." Liam noted.

"Yeah, sorry. Guess it slipped my mind." Niall replied tiredly. He looked exhausted, as if he'd been stressed for weeks.

"How'd it go? Got everything sorted?" Harry asked as he let me go, but remained close to me.

"Yeah. I did." He glanced at the ground sadly.

"I'm sorry mate." Harry said.

"Thanks. I'm...gonna go take a nap." Niall murmured, staring blankly off into space. He really did look terrible.

"Good to have you back." Louis said while Niall began trudging toward the staircase.

I jumped off the stool and stepped over to Niall, touching his arm lightly. "Niall?"

Avoiding eye contact, he pulled away and kept heading for the stairs. "You shouldn't talk to me."

"What? Why? Niall? You're here. You're the only one who won't hurt me. Why are you acting like this?" I wanted to know, following him toward the stairs.

"Stop, alright? Just don't talk to me." Niall hurried up the stairs without answering and Harry held me back.

"Leave him alone." Harry ordered, directing me back to my stool.

"But what's wrong? He's upset." I asked, shrugging Harry's hands off me.

"Just let him be, alright? Right after we escaped prison, he found out his mum died of an illness just a week before. He's been home taking care of things." Harry explained, putting my food back in front of me.

Upset, I frowned at my plate and shook my head. "His mom died?"

"Yes."

"Did you do it? To get back at him for ruining everything for you?" I asked seriously and he looked at me in disgust.

"What? Of course not! Why would I do that? We made up in prison and he's back with us." Harry leaned against the countertop watching me.

"He's back with you? Like part of your gang, doing what you do?" I asked in dread.

"We're all he has. So he stayed with us and I don't mind because I'm fond of him. We've been mates for years. He just made it clear he won't be playing with the girls anymore." Harry explained.

"Was...he close to his mom?" I asked curiously, becoming upset at the idea of Niall getting back together with the boys.

"I guess. He hadn't seen her in years since he'd joined my gang, so not that close anymore. But anyway, finish your food and I'll take you back to your room." Harry instructed, dismissing the subject.

"But what about-"

"Shush, love." Harry scolded, nudging my plate expectantly.

Sighing, I decided to ask Niall about everything. I wanted to know what the heck he was doing with the guys. Three years ago he turned himself in and confessed and basically locked himself in a prison cell, but now he had escaped with the others and was back at it? I was so confused. Why would Niall do this? It hadn't fully registered that he was actually here.

After finishing my food, I was guided back up the stairs with Harry acting like a prison warden as he put me back in my room. As I stepped inside, I turned back to him and hesitated.

"Harry?" I murmured quietly.

"Yeah?" He replied, a hint of excitement lighting up his features when I said his name.

"I...I desperately want to go home. I miss my family so much." I admitted, hanging my head so as to seem submissive so he'd feel sorry for me.

He picked a piece of lint off my sweater. "I'm sure you do. But you're staying here because it's not safe for you out there. I'm protecting you, remember?"

"I don't feel safe." I told him sadly.

"Believe me. You're safer with me than out on your own. Someone is looking for you." He assured me and leaned against the doorframe.

"I'm not safe with you. Any one of you could decide to take advantage of me at any moment." I protested.

"But have we?" He countered.

"Louis has."

"That's different. He hardly touched you. Just be good and you'll be safe. I'm trying to take care of the danger out there, and until I do, you're staying here with me." Harry stated firmly.

"I don't care about the danger, I want to leave! I can take care of myself and-"

"Scarlet, stop. You clearly can't take care of yourself because you're back here with us. My decision is final so get used to it, okay?" Harry said, becoming annoyed. "I need to keep you safe and with me."

"I hate you." I grumbled and folded my arms.

"You will learn to love me. I just know it." Harry gave me a half smile and went to close the door.

"I'll never love you, you piece of trash!" I yelled when he closed the door. He didn't respond and I was left alone again.


	18. Boundaries Crossed

"Your period?" Liam scratched his head, looking awkwardly to the side.

"Yeah...do you have stuff for it?" I asked. My damn period had to start. No wonder I'd been so moody and emotional, even though I had good reason to be nonetheless.

"Uh...I don't think so. Let me go ask Harry." Liam closed my door and left for a while. I shifted my weight from one leg to another, feeling the uncomfortableness in my panties. The door opened again and both Harry and Liam stood there.

"You started your period?" Harry asked me.

"Yep." I responded expectantly.

"Really?" Harry frowned.

"It's not very hard to tell if my period has started, so yeah." I shrugged. "Can I have stuff for it?"

"We don't have...anything..." Harry looked at Liam like he was lost. "I suppose I'll have to find something. I'll go and-"

"Yeah, maybe we could go to the store?" Liam suggested.

"No, we can't do that. Obviously." Harry shook his head adamantly.

"The neighbors?" Liam questioned.

"Maybe you could just use toilet paper or something." Harry suggested and I gave him a look of disgust.

"Gosh you two are useless. Here you go darling." Louis pushed past them and held out a box of tampons.

Harry and Liam looked utterly confused. "Where...?"

"You told me to be prepared for our guest. So I prepared." Louis answered simply, walking out.

"Okay well. Go to the washroom." Harry let me out and guided me to the bathroom.

"I'll need new underwear too..." I murmured embarrassed. "And ibuprofen."

"It's such an ordeal." Harry commented, holding the door as I went into the bathroom.

"You have no idea." I grumbled.

"We'll give you some space during...this time." Harry said quietly.

Looking up from the floor, I gave him a hopeful look. "Thanks."

"I mean, Liam and I will. Louis probably won't. But you know." He shrugged and left. I didn't been to be reminded about Louis—that time by the river...

I wanted to ask about Niall again, but he shut the door. It didn't seem like they wanted to talk about him, or tell me anything about him. I didn't know why.

Harry came back with fresh undies. When I tried to take them, he held on for a moment, keeping me from taking them. I glared at him and he let go, keeping his gaze on my hands. When he left and shut the door, I saw how lacy and sexy the panties were. Pretending not to care even though I didn't want to wear them when all the boys knew I was, I took care of my business.

•••

A week passed. I was left alone quite a bit and didn't see Niall at all. I asked for him but the guys wouldn't let me see him. I wasn't bothered by them much. Harry kept me in the room most of the time and didn't let the guys hang out in there with me, thank goodness. I was feeling lonely, trapped, and like I would go insane if I stayed much longer in that bare room. I wanted my family, my son.

One evening Harry came in and shut the door, leaning against the wall with a curious expression. I was sitting on the floor in the corner, picking paint off the wall.

"Don't do that." He murmured, watching me.

"What else is there to do?" I responded, continuing.

"Plenty." Was his simple reply and I looked down, understanding perfectly well what he had in mind.

"I'm about to go crazy. I need to get out of here." I told him, peeling a particularly large piece of paint off the wall.

He quickly walked across the floor and kneeled beside me, taking my hand as I lurched back away from him. He shook his head and smoothed out the remaining paint.

"Would you give me some space?" I asked, scooting back.

"You have plenty of space." He decided, moving closer.

"Harry." I said, losing my breath as my heart raced.

"Shh. Don't be afraid of me." He whispered, moving his face closer so I could feel his breath on my cheek.

I was cornered now and terrified. "Can you move away? Please, I'm feeling claustrophobic..."

"Scarlet... I want to be close to you. I'm not going to hurt you." He attempted to reassure me as his lips brushed against my jaw and I whimpered, shaking.

"Leave me alone!" I squeaked, pushing against his body and trying to stand, but he held me down. "Let me go!"

"Stop it alright?" He commanded, becoming frustrated as he tried to keep me where he wanted me.

I managed to break free and stand up, running across the room to the door. I didn't open it, but I turned back and looked at him with fearful eyes. He was right on my heels to my surprise and pinned me against the door, my back slamming into it harshly. I whimpered in fear and struggled to get out of his hold but he was stronger than me.

"Just calm down!" He hissed.

"No! I can't. I literally can't. What are you trying to do?" I cried, turning my face away.

"Nothing, just look me in the eyes." He growled, gaining control of me and making me stop moving.

"But-"

"Stop struggling, Scarlet, or I'll use other means to get you to obey me." He said, his voice lowering significantly as he grew gravely serious.

Relaxing my muscles slightly, I struggled to remain conscious as the anxiety from having him be in control of me overtook me. At this point, I couldn't be completely responsible for my actions. These days when I was put in a triggering situation, my body took over and left my mind behind—like survivor instincts or something.

"Come on love. Look me the eyes." Harry said softly, touching my chin.

"Don't call me that. I'm not your love." I slapped his hand away.

"Shh. Don't talk to me like that." He shook his head, looking down to my mouth.

"I swear if you touch me like you used to I'll-"

"Chill. I only want a kiss." He chuckled.

Eyes widening, I shook my head adamantly and began to struggle again, ramming my elbow into the door painfully. I moaned in pain and kicked at him.

"Get your sick hands off me! You can't kiss me! I'm engaged! I love someone else who's not you!" I raised my voice, shoving away from him and putting space between us. I smoothed out my clothes as I tried not to show shaken I was.

"You won't listen? Fine. Have it your way." His gaze grew dark and he approached me again.

"Harry. Stay the fûck away from me. Do you understand?" I backed into the bed and panicked, my vision starting to blacken.

When I began to collapse, Harry suddenly caught me and held me up. My vision cleared and I wanted to cry. I tried to breathe normally, but my stomach was in knots and my heart was beating rapidly and my hands were shaking. I wished I had fainted.

"You're a bit pale." He noticed.

"Leave me alone! I almost passed out." I gasped, squirming out of his hold.

"No, you didn't. I'm not even doing anything to you. Get on the bed." Harry demanded, pushing me easily backward in my dazed state and pinning me down below his body.

I instantly froze, squeezing my eyes shut and hyperventilating. One of his knees was between mine and I couldn't bear it. Even though that unfortunate summer had been three years ago, I'd replayed every incident in my head over and over again so that they seemed like they happened yesterday. The fear had only grown deeper inside me.

"Harry, get off..." I begged, squirming and fighting him.

"Do you want to know exactly what I'll do to you if you don't obey me?" He said menacingly.

"No! I just want you to stop." I managed to hit his cheek, but not hard enough.

"Well too bad, because I'm going to tell you." He growled, gripping each of my wrists and slamming them down against the mattress. "If you don't obey me right now, I will force you to your knees and shove my dîck in your mouth. And then I'll fûck you from behind and let Louis have a turn as well. Who knows, maybe I'll have Liam join in too. You have three holes after all. But I'm sure you don't want that to happen, so I suggest you do as I say and stop struggling." Harry whispered into my ear forcefully and I flinched.

I laid still, trembling in horror.

"I'm not going to hurt you, alright?" He assured me, acting as though he didn't just threaten to ràpe me gruesomely.

"Everything you do hurts me." I murmured quietly.

"Just let me touch you. That's all I want. No pain." He said, and his hand touched my hip.

"You're horrible." I whispered.

I cringed and squirmed slightly. I wished he hadn't given me black yoga pants to wear today. His large hand ran up my side and his thumb rested below my boob. My breathing quickened and a tear escaped as I shook my head in desperation.

"Please, Harry. I can't handle this." I pleaded pathetically.

"Let me touch you and I won't fûck you like I said." He told me.

"If you go too far it's basically ràpe. Please don't!" I squeaked when he brought one of my knees up to his waist and snuck his other leg between mine. I couldn't help but cry quietly now. I had never wanted to be in this position again with him and now I was. I didn't know what to do.

"Don't cry, Scarlet." He whispered, cupping the side of my face with one hand.

I couldn't even respond to that, because he was so completely delusional. His mind was twisted and he was insane. I hated him more than anything—he made me sick and feel such terror. At that moment I wished I wasn't living anymore, but then I remembered my beloved Caspian.

I knew I must survive for Caspian.

Harry bent his head, breathing deeply against my neck. I shuddered as I laid there helplessly. Why couldn't I save myself? Why wasn't I strong enough? Because I knew he could overpower me and I desperately didn't want to be fully ràped again. So I laid there.

"Why can't you enjoy this? I'm trying to be different. I'm trying to be more gentle with you, but you don't seem to notice." Harry murmured, his lips grazing my neck lightly.

"Because I have boundaries that you ignore. When you cross them, obviously I'm going to react negatively." I answered in a whisper, turning my face to the side.

"I'm trying though. Can't you acknowledge that at least?" He wanted to know.

"Harry. If you truly wish to change, you have to listen to me." I said, tensing up while he lowered his hips more.

"I'm in charge though." He replied. "Just...let me kiss you. It'll be a nice kiss, I promise."

"But I don't want you to kiss me." I cried, breathing hard and trying to ignore the stream of tears leaving my eyes.

"But you'll let me, because you know what'll happen if you don't." He told me seriously.

I whimpered and squirmed as he lay flat on me, his hips moving. I shook my head but he held it still while he looked down on me. He wasn't smiling, but he had a fond expression on his face. I gave him my best pleading eyes, but to no avail. He bent his head and kissed my lips.

It was the first kiss from someone other than Zayn since that summer. I couldn't help but start to cry harder as he deepened the kiss. He pulled back when my whimpers turned to sobs.

"Why must you always cry?" He sighed as if I were inconveniencing him.

"Dîckhead." I sputtered, wriggling around habitually.

"Scarlet..." Harry shook his head and kissed me again, his hands moving around me more this time.

"Please. Please!" I begged, squealing when one of his hands began sliding up the inside of my thigh.

"Lie still." He ordered. "Now."

"But...Harry." I breathed, staring up at him with a pleading expression. Nevertheless, I stopped moving because of what he'd do if I didn't.

"Good girl. Let me touch you and you won't get hurt. I need to touch you right now, but I won't go too far." He murmured, kissing my cheek, my jaw, my neck, my lips.

I was having trouble getting enough air. My breathing was sporadic and quick and he noticed, but refused to comment on it. It was one of the most horrible things—being trapped underneath him feeling helpless while he did what he wanted.

"Scarlet, I need you to do something." His voice was coarse. When I didn't answer, he brushed his lips against the skin under my ear, making me shiver. "Take off your shirt."

I gasped, my head spinning and horror rushing through me. "I'm going to pass out! I'm gonna pass out. Please Harry stop..."

His hands lifted my shirt up my stomach, but I grabbed a hold of it before he could push it over my chest.

"I will despise you even more if you do this. I will hate you and I'll never love you, do you hear me? I have boundaries and if you cared about me at all you'd respect them!" I cried desperately.

"Scarlet, what did I tell you about struggling?" He asked coolly and I felt very small.

"I can't just...let this happen." I whimpered.

"Do you want me to fûck you?" He asked.

"No..." I shook my head.

"Then do as I say. I promise that I won't put anything inside of you if you lie still and let me touch you and look at you. Alright?" He said.

I closed my eyes, squeezing out more streams of tears. What was worse? Allowing him to touch me all he wanted while lying still or having him fûck me senseless? Neither was something I preferred, but I had to make a choice. How could he claim to be trying to change when he was doing this to me?

"Now take off your shirt." He repeated, holding himself up with his arms and watching me.

I shifted and tugged at the bottom of my shirt. "I'll do it. But just so you know, I hate you with every fiber of my being. I will never love you or have any kind of positive feelings toward you in anyway. You claim to be trying to be better and yet you still take advantage of me, not caring one bit that I'm completely miserable and sobbing my eyes out. You aren't changing. You are incapable of changing. You're so stuck in your ways and blinded by your own selfishness that you cannot care for other people-"

I was silenced by a harsh slap against my cheek.

His eyes burned with anger as he fumed above me. "I'm perfectly capable of changing! I care for you even if you don't see it. I'm trying okay! It's just impossible when you won't accept me!"

"You're selfish! You're so self-centered that you can't see how you're treating other people! I'm miserable Harry! Completely and utterly miserable. You scare me, terrorize me, and hurt me in mind and body and you don't even care." I spat back, wincing when he wrapped a hand around my neck.

"You don't get to talk to me like that. I had three years to think about you in prison. All I ever thought of was you. You and your stupid selflessness. And all the while I wondered how you could be that way—caring about others so deeply that you put yourself in harms way instead of them. I admire that about you. I love that about you. I want to learn how to be that way, but you hate me so much that you won't give me a chance. The reason I do these things to you is because I literally cannot keep my hands off you. You're addicting, like a drug and I can't seem to stay away." He said, his hand still around my neck, but not tight enough to choke me.

"Harry. What you feel is lust. Nothing more. All you want is my body." I croaked out, clutching his hand.

"Lust you say? Is it lust when I desperately want you to care about me? When I want you to look at me and smile instead of cower away in disgust? I want you to be mine and to like it. I want you to want me." He said.

"That's all self-centered!" I cried, gasping when his hand tightened around my throat. "You don't know anything about love you pig!"

"I'm trying to figure it out!" He roared, squeezing my neck tightly until I was struggling for air.

"Harry. I can't...breathe!" I panicked.

"Scarlet. Maybe I don't know how to love. But I want to learn how to do it right." He whispered.

"Then let go of me!" I begged, scratching at his hand desperately.

"I just can't stay away from you. I need to be close to you." He hung his head, releasing me and I gasped in air.

Coughing a little, I maneuvered myself out from beneath him and huddled by the wall. He sat there staring into space, deep in thought.

"That's where you keep going wrong, Harry. Love starts with selflessness. Put others before yourself. Let me be." I whispered, rubbing my neck.

Turning to look at me, he frowned, probably seeing marks left by his hands. He reached out to touch my neck, but I shrank back, untrusting of his motives. He recoiled and glared at me. Abruptly, he got off the bed and walked across the room to the door. He left the room and slammed the door shut harshly.


	19. Time to Get Out

While I was cleaning their house once again, I was in the living room with Harry watching from a bar stool at the kitchen counter. I just finished vacuuming the dirty carpet when I heard someone come down the stairs. Hoping it wasn't Louis coming to torment me, I rolled up the vacuum cord and wheeled it back to the closet.

When I glanced over after shutting the closet door, I was surprised to see Niall walk past me. He wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I followed, but Harry reached out a hand and stopped me.

"Continue cleaning." He told me seriously.

"I just want to talk to him. See how he's-"

"I won't repeat myself, Scarlet." He cut me off.

Frowning, I stayed there but spoke up. "Can I talk to you, Niall?"

Niall paused with his back to us and Harry grabbed my arm. "He doesn't want to talk to you now get back to cleaning."

"But I need to..."

"Scarlet." Harry tilted his head and gave me a warning look.

"Why won't you acknowledge me!" I wanted to know, looking past Harry at Niall who was ignoring me.

Getting off the stool, Harry gripped my arm and pulled me away from the counter and into the living room. He turned me toward him and stared intensely into my eyes. "Do not speak to him. Leave him alone."

"Let go of me." I hissed, yanking my arm away.

"Don't be difficult. Just continue cleaning. Do some dusting or something." He gestured to the furniture needing attention.

"But I..."

"Now." He growled, pushing me.

"Dîck." I mumbled, making a face.

He suddenly fisted my hair and pulled on it. "Be a good girl, love. We both know what happens to bad girls."

"Harry, would you quit treating her like shît?" Niall suddenly raised his voice, slamming a cupboard closed and coming over to us.

Harry let go and faced Niall. "I'm only trying to help you."

"Well then stop. Leave her alone." Niall spoke up in his thick Irish accent. "She doesn't deserve the way you treat her. I thought you wanted to treat her better."

"I am." Harry grumbled, looking at me when I rolled my eyes.

"Scarlet, I'm sorry you've been dragged into his mess once again. There's really no way out so I'm sorry you have to be here." Niall shrugged, screwing the lid back on a jar of mustard.

"I can't believe that." I murmured in disappointment.

"You need to. You're safest with us, believe it or not." Niall said, opening the fridge and putting away some food.

"I'm not safe. They've threatened me countless times with ràpe and other sick things, not to mention they can't keep their hands off me. I am not safe." I argued while Harry sighed deeply.

"But I haven't ràped you have I?" Harry mumbled in annoyance.

"You have me to be on your side. I won't let them touch you, but I also won't let you leave." Niall spoke seriously to me.

Hurt, I stepped forward. "Why are you here? And not in prison?"

Sadness took over his features and he frowned, looking at the floor. "I heard you were in trouble. The guys were going to escape and find you so they could keep the other guy from finding you. I couldn't let you be alone with them...but I wanted to stay in prison to finish my sentence. I chose to escape..."

"And that's why you won't talk to me?" I guessed, knowing Harry was frustrated that I was ignoring his commands but not caring in the least.

"Yes..." Niall nodded guiltily. "I turned myself in to be punished for what I helped them do to you, and then I got out early. It's like I don't even feel guilty for what I did, but I am. I hate myself."

"No..." I went to the counter and looked at him across the island. "If you escaped only to help me, then I don't hate you for that. You're only trying to redeem yourself. But Niall, I can take care of myself."

"You really can't. Not against this new threat." Niall said and picked up the sandwich he made, walking out of the kitchen.

I went to him and stopped him before he could walk past. He looked at me with great difficulty.

"I'm so sorry Scarlet." He whispered.

Lowering my gaze, I moved closer to him. Before he could leave, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. Tears stung my eyes as he hugged me back. I desperately needed an affectionate touch from someone who had no intention of harming me. At last I could touch someone without fearing they'd hurt me or use me.

Niall then pulled away and left me there to go back upstairs. "Harry, keep your hands off her."

Harry glowered, looking at me with irritation. "He's always ruining everything. Now you're just going to run to him all the time."

"Why are you so surprised? He's not a sadistic monster who's set on getting his way with me." I shrugged mockingly.

"Scarlet." He hissed. "Stop."

"Fine. But I'm getting out of here. I don't need you to protect me. I have other people to help me. I can't stay here any longer with you always trying to take advantage of my vulnerability." I told him adamantly.

"Don't be daft. Just finish cleaning up." Harry rolled his eyes.

"For once, would you just listen to me." I snapped.

He sighed, looking very bored and uninterested in what I was saying. So I knew I could outsmart him in his arrogant mood. He opened his mouth to say something.

"I want some tea." I spoke up quickly, picking up a mug from the counter.

"That one's dirty. You can have tea after the house is clean." He said, glancing back at the living room.

"Mm. I'd rather have it now." I murmured angrily.

When he turned his face back to me, I gripped the mug and then quickly slammed it into the side of his head. The mug shattered and Harry fell to the ground. He groaned, holding his head and staring at me in shock.

"I'm getting out of here you selfish arrogant pig." I growled, picking up another mug and slamming that into his head also.

That caused him to fall unconscious and he lay there limply. Heart beating fast, I ran to the couch and grabbed a sweatshirt that was lying there and then rushed to the door.

"I don't think so!" I heard Louis yell.

Before I could figure out how to unlock the door, Louis had run down the stairs and crossed the open room to get to me. I cried out in fear when he reached me and yanked me away from the door. Instead of staying on the floor where I fell, I scrambled up and ran to the kitchen. He followed.

I picked up an apple from the fruit basket and chucked it at him. It hit his shoulder, but he wasn't phased. I then picked up a knife and pointed it at him. 

"Stay away from me." My voice shook as my hands trembled.

Louis smirked and took his own knife from his pocket, holding it like he knew how to use it. I didn't want to knife fight him, because I knew I'd lose. So I dropped the knife on the floor.

"Yes, that's it sweetheart. Surrender to me and I'll make your punishment less painful for you...probably." He sneered dangerously.

I stayed quiet, stopping by the stove. He came nearer and teased me with the knife. I pretended to be defeated until he seemed confident that I had given up. He put his knife back and crossed his arms smugly.

"You stupid bîtch. When will you ever learn?" He mocked, tilting his head.

Now that he was overconfident and not in attack position any longer, I took my chance. Before he could blink, I'd snatched a pan from the stove and lugged it at his head. It struck his temple and he collapsed to the floor. Not waiting around, I leaped over him and ran back to the door. I took the sweatshirt and some shoes and unlocked the door. Yanking it open, I dashed outside and ran for my life.


	20. Out of the Frying Pan

I half expected them to be right behind me, but miraculously they stayed unconscious for once. I ran down the walkway to the street, choosing to go left. Adrenaline spurred me forward as I sprinted as fast as I could away from my captors. I couldn't believe I had successfully gotten out of the house.

The neighborhood was a little sketchy, so I didn't run up to any of the houses. Who knew what kind of criminals lived here? It wouldn't surprise me if they were all buddies of Harry. I ran down the sidewalk and then turned a corner. The cold air froze my skin and made my feet hurt. Now I knew why they wouldn't let me wear shoes inside—so it would be harder for me to run away.

Glancing back, I saw I wasn't being followed yet so I quickly pulled on the shoes I stole. They were too big, but they'd have to do. I started running again, which was still difficult with the large sized shoes. I kept turning corners and trying to hide my path so they couldn't find me. If Harry and Louis stayed unconscious for long enough, I could get far away.

I knew this was basically life or death now. I knew what they'd do if I was caught. I was all too familiar with the punishment for escaping. Now I'd have to do everything possible not to get caught by them. After some time, the houses turned to apartments and shops and I realized I was entering a town. Where the hell was I?

I kept passing people, but I couldn't bring myself to ask them for help. For some reason I couldn't trust anyone. I felt like they were all against me. I looked at road signs and shop signs for some clue as to my whereabouts, but I couldn't find a town name. The sun was going down and I needed to find a phone.

Afraid, I looked around for an innocent-looking person and saw an old lady with a cane. I walked up to her and stopped her.

"Excuse me ma'am, do you have a phone I could use?" I asked desperately.

She looked at me and frowned. "Sweetie you don't look well. Are you alright?"

"No, I really need a phone." I said, trying to keep it together.

"I'm sorry but I don't have one of those. Those devices are too complicated for me. I leave all that modern technology for my grandchildren." The lady told me.

"Thanks anyway..." I said and left her, continuing down the street.

I spotted a teenage girl walking out of a shop and stopped her. "Do you have a phone I could use?"

She stared at me suspiciously. "You're a stranger."

She walked briskly away and left me standing there. Anxiety rising, I looked around the street in worry. It shouldn't be hard to find a phone. Everyone has one...except for that old lady.

A lady in her forties past me and she noticed how upset I was...and probably how horrible I looked.

"Could I use your phone?" I asked again.

She opened her purse and took out a phone. "Of course honey. Are you alright?"

I shook my head and took the phone, dialing Zayn's number, which I had memorized in case of situations like this. I put the phone to my ear, afraid that he wouldn't pick up. I struggled not to cry as it rang twice.

My heart flipped when the ringing stopped.

"Hello?" 

"Zayn." I choked on a sob, overwhelmed with joy at hearing his voice.

"Love?" He replied in a whisper.

"Yes, it's me. Help me, I don't know where I am." I began to cry and forgot that the lady was listening.

"Scarlet! Babe, don't cry. I'll find you okay? I promise. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" His voice was strained and I could tell he was panicked.

"They didn't hurt me...in that way. I'm okay. I just escaped and now I'm lost in a town I don't know. And I...I need you." I whimpered.

"The town is Hillsburg." The lady cut in, looking worried.

"I'm in Hillsburg." I repeated, thanking the lady.

"Okay...don't move. I'm coming. Wait... That town is two hours away! It's not even in California." Zayn exclaimed.

"What?" I cried. I must be in Nevada or Oregon.

"Don't worry. I'll drive as fast as I can. Just...stay safe and stay hidden. Don't trust anybody." He told me seriously. I could hear him moving around.

"Please hurry. I need you. Wait!" I raised my voice.

"What?"

"Let me hear Caspian's voice." I whispered so the lady wouldn't hear.

"He's with your parents right now. He's alright. You'll get to see him soon. Just stay there." He told me.

More tears fell. At least Caspian was alright. "I'll be across the street from the movie theater."

"Okay. I'm coming." He said.

I knew I had to give the lady back her phone, so I controlled myself and whispered, "And Zayn...I love you. I'll see you soon."

"I love you too. Be safe and don't trust anybody okay? I need you to be safe." Zayn told me sternly.

"Okay..." I hung up and handed the lady her phone.

It pained me to let Zayn go, but I knew I had to. I thanked her and rushed away. There was an alley across from the theater so I chose to hide there and wait. I snuck in without anyone noticing and sat beside a dumpster, cuddling my legs. The air was cold and I wished I had more clothes on. I only had yoga pants, one of the boys' pairs of shoes, and two sweatshirts. It was winter for heaven's sake.

I closed my eyes, praying that nothing would go wrong before Zayn got here. Maybe I should call the police and have them come get me. But how could I trust them? What if they were imposter policemen? I wasn't sure whether to believe there was a man out there looking for me like Harry claimed, but I didn't want to take a chance. I decided it was best to just sit and wait for Zayn.

Time passed frustratingly slowly. No one found me and I didn't move from my spot even though it smelled like rotten food beside that dumpster. I was just happy to be away from the boys. It didn't seem real that I had successfully escaped. Without a doubt, they were looking for me now and that scared me.

Soon it was dark and there were a lot less people out. I decided Zayn should be here by now. Two hours had probably passed. I peeked out from behind the dumpster to watch the road. As I watched anxiously, I heard voices approaching. I recoiled and slowed my breathing to remain undetected.

My chest tightened and I panicked when a group of people turned into the alley I was hiding in. They seemed oblivious of my presence and strolled passed me, laughing and joking with each other. There was only one woman among the group of six guys. I froze in fear when they all stopped right in front of me, talking with each other jovially. 

If I stayed frozen and silent, they wouldn't notice me crouched in the shadows. But I had no such luck. One of them was staring at me, probably not fully realizing that there was a person sitting there in the dark. But then he nudged the guys beside him, nodding in my direction. Soon all of them turned and looked my way.

"Is that a person?" One asked.

I was so afraid that I couldn't move or make a sound. The closest guy moved toward me and squinted in the low light.

"It's a girl." He noticed.

There were a few low "ooh's" and I knew I needed to get out of there and fast.

"Is she hot? And young?" Another guy asked.

"Bring her out so we can see. Maybe we did find some entertain tonight after all." The guy who saw me first said. 

Trying to minimize my shaking, I scrambled to my feet and bolted to the side. I tried to move as fast as I could, but it wasn't fast enough. All seven of them came after me and I shrieked, being jerked back. Strong hands caught me and forced me against the dirty brick wall of the alley while more hands covered my mouth so I'd stop calling for help.

"Shh, pretty girl. We're only looking to have some fun." The man who was in front of me with my wrists restrained said.

"Yeah, it's not like we're gonna take your clothes off your anything." Another guy snickered, clearly lying.

Panicked, I struggled and cried out through the hand, trying to force them off me. But my arms were held aside and someone began lifting my sweatshirts. I fought as hard as I could against them, but there were seven of them and only one of me. Even the woman was helping. My yoga pants were yanked down and I cried in desperation.

"Look at that soft skin. So flawless." The guy sneered in my face, gripping my side and making me choke on sobs.

"Wait, look." Another guy who was closest spoke up, looking at my hips.

"Please stop!" I managed to get out when the hand on my mouth lifted for a brief second.

"Holy shît!" The main guy holding me cursed, releasing me and moving away.

All seven of them moved a step back, staring at my hips as I hastily fixed my clothes. I was confused, but relieved. They still surrounded me against the wall and I stood there terrified. "Stay the hell away from me."

"Her tattoo." The woman whispered, ignoring my words.

"She belongs to..." One stammered, wide eyed.

The whole group was suddenly staring at me like I was the most dangerous thing in the world. After a moment of shocked silence, they moved further away from me cautiously.

"She belongs to...Harry Styles." Another said for the rest, looking like he just got caught stealing the Declaration of Independence.

"Let's get out of here!" The first guy spoke up and ran out of the alley.

The rest followed and suddenly they were gone, leaving me alone and unharmed, but pretty badly shaken up. I stood there shocked for a minute. If Harry hadn't tattooed me, those people might have done some ghastly things to me. For a brief second I was thankful that he had given it to me, but then I shook my head. It was still wrong and disgusting of him.

With my heart still beating madly, I went to the entrance of the alley and peeked out. I needed another place to hide. Those people knew I was here now. I crept out of the alley, looking every direction cautiously. Headlights rounded a corner and came toward me. I hid behind the corner of the building to my left and watched the car near my alley. When it parked on the other side of the street in front of the movie theater, I nearly collapsed in relief.

It was Zayn's car.

I saw him get out and look around, glancing at the theater and then over toward me. I stepped out of the shadows, letting him see me and he visibly sighed in relief, making his way across the street. I rushed from my hiding place and ran into the street, but in my excitement I didn't see the other car.

A matte black Range Rover came out of nowhere and screeched to a halt between Zayn and I, causing both of us to stop quickly so we wouldn't be run into. Startled, I was caught off guard when the doors of the vehicle opened and men suddenly came out, reaching for me.

"Scarlet!" Zayn yelled, running around the vehicle while I attempted to run from them.

I hadn't fully had time to register what was happening when strong hands grabbed me roughly and began hauling me back to their car. I kicked and screamed and heard Zayn shouting and fighting the other men. Terrified, I reached for Zayn as two men held him back. These men were buff and muscular and clearly lived off of exercise. They certainly weren't Harry or the others. Zayn didn't stand a chance.

"Zayn!" I screamed, being shoved into the car and the rest jumped in as well.

One guy socked Zayn right in the face and he fell backward, hitting the asphalt hard. I feared they might have killed him as I panicked, flailing, fighting, and shrieking. They held me down so I'd stop hitting them and the vehicle spurred into motion, taking me with them and leaving Zayn behind unconscious in the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be prepared for graphic mature content ahead. This story is intense. I don't want to scar you!


	21. Into the Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me again warn you, this chapter is dark and maybe hard to read.

They didn't knock me out. Instead they gagged me and blindfolded me. My wrists were bound with duct tape in front of me and my ankles were as well. I felt uncomfortably restrained and unable to do anything—not to mention I was completely terrified. At least I wasn't messed with during the drive. They actually didn't say anything or do anything; they just sat there silently.

I had an idea of who these people might be and I wasn't eager to find out if I was right. The mysterious "man" the boys kept talking about—the one who was supposedly looking for me and wanted to hurt me—could these people be working for him? I decided that was the most likely answer, but wasn't relieved at all over that thought.

I guess Harry wasn't lying after all.

It was torture sitting in that vehicle for who knew how long until it stopped. It was at least a couple of hours. None of the men spoke until we arrived somewhere. Since I couldn't see, I had no clue as to where I'd been taken and was carelessly jostled about as I was taken out of the car. At that point my hands were untied and then re-tied behind my back. I whimpered and whined beseechingly, but no one showed mercy on me.

I was flung over someone's shoulder and carried along. I assumed we entered a building since the cold suddenly ceased and a door slammed. I squirmed and wriggled, wanting to be let down. The person carrying me paid no attention to my efforts and then abruptly stopped. Struggling to remain calm and not hyperventilate, I listened to every little sound for signs of where in the world I was.

Suddenly, the person holding me dropped me onto the floor and I collapsed, unable to catch myself because of my bound ankles and hands. Hearing chuckles as I struggled to sit up, I spun my head different directions, desperately wishing to see. And the gag tasted horrid.

"So..." A deep voice spoke up.

My blood ran cold at the voice, fear ripping through me. It was unfamiliar, but terrifying nonetheless. This man held my life in his hands and I was helpless to do anything. My body shook with unrestrained fear.

"You're the little whôre my enemies have grown fond of?" The voice spoke again, sounding displeased.

I sat on my knees and wondered if he expected me to respond with a gag in my mouth. Whimpering again when a foot nudged me, I grew angry—I wasn't a whôre.

"You seem so...pathetic. I thought you'd have more voluptuous curves or ample tits. A disappointment, my dear, just like that troublesome gang of Harry Styles'." He said arrogantly.

I made a noise to try to get someone to remove the gag so I could speak. In response I was hit by a boot.

"Now now, slût. You have no rights here. If you speak without permission, I'll beat you." He said, making my heart drop.

At that moment I felt someone handling my blindfold and then it came off. I blinked and looked around nervously. My body was clenched in fear and I wasn't sure how I wasn't hyperventilating already. I instantly regretted being able to see how.

Burly men stood around looking at me. But the one in charge—he stood in front of me, arms crossed and head tilted. He was big and bald and didn't appear amused at all. He looked as if he might murder me with his stare as he stood at his towering six-foot-something height before me. I felt like a mouse next to him. The gag came off next.

"Tell me—and think twice before lying—where is Harry's gang hiding out?" He asked menacingly.

Trembling, I kept my gaze on the ground and shrugged honestly. He took a step closer to me.

"When I ask a question I expect you to answer me." He said sinisterly.

"I don't know." I whispered.

His hand shot toward me and snatched my hair roughly. "I said. Don't lie."

"Ow! I really don't know! They kept me inside and didn't tell me where I was. It's just a house somewhere!" I gasped in pain.

"You ran away and you still don't know where you were?" He growled impatiently.

"Some town called Hillsburg, where those guys found me. I swear that's all I know! I couldn't find them again even if I tried. All I was thinking when I ran was getting as far away as I could." I winced as he yanked on my hair so I would stand to my feet.

The man jerked me close to his body. "You're the dumbest slût I've ever met. What in hell do those boys see in you?"

I stayed silent and stared at him. I honestly had no idea what to do. He then shoved me to the floor again and his men laughed.

"Well then...whôre. I guess you'll be my guest until they come to rescue you. And when they do..." He let out a low chuckle that made the hairs on my neck stand on end.

The others joined in and I was grabbed again and dragged along down the dim corridor. The man in charge stopped at a strong looking door and unlocked it. He led the way while I was thrown over a shoulder again and carried down some stairs. The air instantly grew colder and I shivered.

When we reached the bottom and entered a large cement room, my stomach dropped when I saw where we were; a basement. I groaned when I was thrown to the floor. My arm was definitely bruised now. The man came and untied my ankles while I frantically looked around in horror.

I whimpered as I noticed a strong table on the right with various implements on it, chains on the ceiling and walls, and a few cages to the left that looked like they were for some sort of animal. The man watched me in amusement and yanked me to my feet once my ankles were free.

"Welcome to hell, slût." He grinned evilly.

"What are you going-"

A harsh slap caught me off guard and I was silenced. I looked back at him in shock.

"I told you not to speak without permission. Do you want to know the consequences of disobeying me?" He raised an eyebrow expectantly and I shook my head quickly.

I shrank away from him, but he held me closer than I wanted to be. My body shook with fear as he grabbed the back of my neck and made me look him in the eye. He seemed amused with my fear as he spoke coolly, annunciating every syllable.

"If you disobey me...I will hurt you. I'm not talking about some light slap in the face. I'm talking I will beat you until you're barely breathing. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I squeaked, tears brimming in my eyes.

"Good. You might want to prepare yourself, because I may feel like hurting you even if you've done nothing wrong. It all depends on my mood. And right now? I'm feeling welcoming. Let me introduce myself." He said, stepping back.

I stood there frozen while he began walking around me.

"My name is Declan Henrik, your worst nightmare. And your name is Scarlet. But I don't care, because I'll simply refer to you as my slût." He chuckled darkly.

I was staring at the wall where I saw a set of knives hanging. What in the world was going to happen to me? I was greatly regretting running away and was horrified at that thought. I'd never thought I would regret running away from them. But this...this just might be worse than being with the boys.

"You seem afraid of me. I wonder why?" He laughed at himself and grabbed a handful of my sweatshirt, pulling it upward and revealing my stomach.

I gasped and whimpered, pleading with him for mercy with my eyes. I was too afraid to anger him by speaking.

"Where are my manners? I should throw a welcome party for you." He smirked, glancing at his men with a gleam in his eye.

"Please..." I couldn't help but murmur.

Suddenly he removed the duct tape around my wrists then forcefully yanked my sweatshirts up over my head while I struggled in vain. The men laughed at me and hooted. He threw my clothes to the side. I covered my bra with my arms and could barely see through my tears. I was completely helpless...again.

Declan grabbed me and moved me over a few feet and clapped handcuffs around my wrists which were attached to the ceiling. I gasped for breath when he then went to the wall and pulled on the chain attached to my wrists and my arms were pulled over my head until I was standing on tiptoe.

Declan then stood in front of me and openly eyed my chest while I whimpered and shut my eyes. I was humiliated. The other men gathered around, but didn't get too close. The evil man walked to my right side where the table was and trailed his fingers over several different objects. I didn't let myself look at what he was getting.

"Listen, girl." Declan spoke up again, moving back to stand before me with a long leather strap in his hands. "While you're here, you will do everything I tell you. Or I will kill you."

Making a small frightened sound, I attempted to shrink away from him but I was unable to move. Tears spilled from my eyes as I watched his hands closely. He gripped the leather strap tightly and glared at me.

"Harry Styles has made his biggest mistake. He fell for you. And I'm going to use that weakness to destroy him and his idiot gang." He growled, lashing the strap out and striking my stomach harshly.

I cried out and flinched.

He hit me again and I gasped out, "Please! Please don't hurt me."

"Are those words I hear coming out of your mouth? I recall telling you barely five minutes ago not to speak without permission." He quipped in mock confusion as he struck me again, harder.

I cried out again, struggling not to beg him for mercy. He would only hurt me worse if I spoke. My stomach stung. He moved close to me and gripped my chin. I was terrified to look into the eyes of such a psychotic person as he.

"I need to send a message to my enemy. In order to do that, I need him to want you back desperately. Right now, sure you look a little ruffled, but that's not good enough. I need you to be bruised." He purred darkly.

Before I could protest, he yanked down my yoga pants and pulled them off so that I was only in my underwear. I sobbed aloud and squeezed my eyes shut. My arms were uncomfortably stretched above me. I hadn't realized that Declan had moved behind me until I felt a stinging line of pain across my bare back. And then another.

As he continued to strike me repeatedly, my cries echoed throughout the room and yet no one helped me. They were all against me and possessed not even an ounce of humanity. I could barely retain consciousness while he continued to hit me until I knew my skin was bleeding. When he threw the strap onto the ground I thought he was done—but he decided to use his hands now. He punched me in the gut and I nearly threw up. Slapping my face, he watched me cry and struggle in my bonds.

By the time he was done, I was bruised all over and my back was obviously bleeding. My cheeks were soaked with my tears and I didn't have any more to cry so I only stared at him in a daze, wishing that I would faint.

All of a sudden, Declan was holding a camera and he pointed it at me, keeping himself out of the picture. My lips trembled in misery.

When he started speaking I was confused for a second at the difference of his voice. He held some sort of voice changer device to his mouth to disguise his real voice. "Take a look, boys. Your precious whôre is mine. She's had only the finest treatment I can offer. And trust me when I say I'll keep it up until you surrender to me."

Refusing to look into the camera, I stubbornly looked at the ground until Declan jerked my hair back so I'd look at the camera. I whimpered and complied until he shut it off. He set it down and then reached up to my wrists.

When he un-cuffed my wrists, I was startled to discover that I couldn't hold myself up. I was so weak after that beating that I crumpled to the ground. He reached down and gripped my arm, dragging my hurt body across the floor toward the cages. He opened one of them and forced me inside it. It was only a three by four cage so I didn't have very much room and it was metal with one inch open squares so I could only stick my fingers out.

It was entirely uncomfortable, but I was glad to be separated from Declan. He stood there gloating for a moment and watching me as if I were some animal in a zoo. And then he turned and walked toward the stairs, taking the camera with him and looking at me one last time.

"Remember slût. Do whatever I say, or I will kill you." He told me seriously and followed his men up out of the basement.

When the lights were suddenly turned off and I was left in complete darkness, I couldn't hold back wracking sobs, hugging myself and praying that somehow I would find a way to get out.


	22. This is Pain

Without daylight to tell time, I had no clue as to when the sun rose the next day. Even though I was completely exhausted and worn out, I didn't sleep at all. I was cold, bruised, and bloody; not to mention uncomfortable in the metal cage having to curl up if I wanted to lie down. My back hurt too much to try to lay on my back.

There wasn't any heat so I was freezing, shivering miserably without my clothes. And the worst part was the darkness. There was not a ray of light in that filthy basement; only suffocating, smothering darkness.

Now that they were gone I wanted to remind myself that I was the brave one. I had always been the brave one, never to give up, but this... this could prove to be too much for me. I had a low tolerance for pain which made me wonder how long I was going to last here.

Despite everything that's happened to me before, I was shocked to find myself wishing to be found by Harry. He was certainly cruel to me, but not this cruel. I didn't want to be hurt by either, but this new foe had proven to be the worst of them all. I couldn't get out on my own though. I knew I'd be locked up at all times. This cage was not something I could break out of.

Crying softly, I huddled in the cage for hours, countless possibilities about what might happen to me running through my head. I didn't know what to do.

At the brink of hyperventilating, I closed my eyes, attempting to empty my mind. Rather than dwelling on my present situation, I thought of Caspian and Zayn. I needed to return to them. Caspian needed me and I wouldn't let him grow up without a mother. I would survive even if I felt like killing myself like I did now.

I would survive.

After it seemed like the next day had begun, I was startled by the door at the top of the stairs opening. I anxiously moved to rest on my knees as Declan came into view at the bottom of the stairs, alone. He held a bottle of water in his hands as he stalked over to me.

"How's my prisoner doing?" He smirked, but the smirk was malicious.

"Cold..." I whispered softly, not able to look at his face.

"Of course you're cold, it's winter. Stupid bîtch." He mocked, unlocking the cage.

I panicked, scooting to the back and hugging myself. He opened the door and squatted down to watch me. He lifted the water bottle up to show me.

"Thirsty?" He asked.

Fearful of saying the wrong thing, I nodded slowly.

"You're gonna have to earn it then. I never give out things for free." He chuckled wickedly, reaching for me.

Gasping, I shook my head. "I don't want it then! Just please don't hurt me anymore."

"Did I just hear you speak without my permission? You stupid whôre. I think you need to be taught a good hard lesson." He clutched a handful of my hair and pulled me out.

"No, please! I'm begging you!" I cried desperately, struggling against him.

Annoyed with my struggling, Declan simply reached behind me and scraped my already injured back harshly with his fingernails so that I screamed in pain. He flung me to the hard floor and gloated over me.

"You're only making it worse for yourself." He noted.

Desperately trying not to lose it, I had to focus on anything but the pain or I'd pass out or fight back, which was a terrible idea. I angrily wiped the tears from my face and looked up at him, not saying anything. It stung excruciatingly and I grimaced, seeing stars.

"Stand up." He ordered.

Wincing as I moved, I carefully managed to stand to my feet. I felt so small and helpless next his giant form. He was much bigger than the boys. Eyeing me up and down, he grabbed my wrist and I gasped. Again he chained my wrists to the ceiling, but this time he chose a whip to use on me. I wasn't sure I could handle another beating.

I sobbed, shaking and pointlessly trying to jerk free of the chains. "Please don't! What have I ever done to you?"

"Now now. Shut that annoying little mouth of yours. All I want to hear from you are your cries of agony. Harry and the others must know you are suffering." Declan gave me a grin, but his eyes showed anything but amusement as he turned on a video camera sitting on a tripod in front of me. He was evil through and through. And with that, he began, lashing the whip across my skin.

Afterward, I was barely conscious, struggling to breathe and limply hanging from the chains. He unlocked me and I fell to the ground, too weak to cry. He dragged me to the cage and shoved me back in, tossing the water bottle inside before slamming the door closed.

"Watching you bleed is enjoyable to me. Mostly because I know it's hurting them." He bent down to watch me closely.

I groaned, wincing as every movement caused shooting pain to ignite in my body like fire. I could only lay there, staring at Declan's boots. I couldn't even raise my arm to drink the water. I knew fresh bruises would be appearing tomorrow as my vision grew hazy.

"Well...enjoy this brief respite. I'll be back down later for more fun." He said indifferently and stood to his feet, walking back to the stairs.

When the door slammed and the light went out, I whispered into the dark. "Zayn, please find me..."

•••

That's how it went for the next several days. I didn't know how long it had been, but it felt like a decade. Declan would come down and take me out, chaining me up so I was vulnerable and helpless. He would whip me everywhere until I was sticky with my own blood and then use his fists to create bruises over the wounds. I was surprised I never passed out once and that I was still breathing. My body was aching.

What had I done to deserve this? Why was this happening to me?

He tied my hair in a knot so it wouldn't get in the way and thankfully allowed me to keep my underwear on. I was incredibly relieved that he hadn't forced me to go completely naked and that he hadn't touched me sexually. If that changed...I wasn't sure what I would do.

Now I was lying in the cage, struggling to breathe for my throat was so dry. He hadn't fed me once; only giving me a bottle of water once in a while. I was freezing, my fingers and toes feeling like ice but he wouldn't give me a blanket. I had lost sense of time until Declan came down some time and unlocked the cage again.

Knowing what was going to happen, I started whimpering, wishing to beg him not to but whenever I begged he would whip me longer and harder. So I remained silent except for my crying. He pulled me out again, but had to keep me upright himself because I couldn't.

"Today will be different. I'm taking you upstairs to meet some friends. And you are to entertain them." Declan told me, looking as if he had some secret he was hiding.

Eyes half open, I let the tears spill over. I was flung over his shoulder and he began walking to the stairs and up them. Shaking in fear, I was carried back up to the main floor and he walked down a hall. He opened a door and we entered a bathroom. He dropped me on the tile floor and pointed at the shower.

"Take a shower and then put these on. If you take too long I'll cut you." He commanded and then slammed the door.

Moaning in pain as I struggled to get off the floor, I glanced at whatever he wanted me to wear and cringed. It was only a set of black underwear...really sexy underwear. I was about to get in the shower when I happened to glance in the mirror and gasped in horror. I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me.

Blood literally stained my skin and where there wasn't blood, black and blue discolored skin showed where he struck me. My face was pale and bruised and my eyes were swollen from crying. I turned away from the sight, revolted. I stepped into the shower in my underwear and turned the water on.

I cried out in pain as the water trickled down my broken skin, stinging badly. But I wanted to wash it all off. I wanted to wash the pain away. I grabbed a bar of soap and scrubbed my skin the best I could without reopening some of the wounds. The tub turned red.

After I'd washed all the blood and dirt off, I stepped out quickly, afraid that he would come in and hurt me. I was impossibly relieved to be warm again. I changed into the new underwear and hated myself when I looked back in the mirror. The underwear didn't make my torn skin look any better. I looked terrible.

The door opened and I jumped, startled.

"Come out now." Declan ordered, opening the door wider and allowing me to limp out into the hall.

There were a few men walking around and when they began checking my half naked body out I covered myself shamefully. Declan pulled me further down the hall until we entered a large living area, leather couches lining two walls with white carpet that was surprisingly clean. My heart sank at the sight of several men sitting on the couches and looking at me with great interest. I felt lost.

"Gentleman, as I promised; the young whôre belonging to Harry Styles. She will be serving us this evening." Declan spoke up, running the backs of his fingers down my arm. I moved away.

"She doesn't look well." One of the men observed and the others laughed at my expense.

"She's definitely been receiving typical Henrik treatment." Another mocked.

"She's been here a week and has needed to be taught lessons every day...usually multiple times a day." Declan said humorously.

"Looks like she's learning. Very obedient." A man commented and I wanted to flip him off just to prove a point, but decided not to sentence myself to a never-ending beating after this.

"I'm surprised the weak bîtch has lasted this long." Declan slurred arrogantly.

I'm not weak.

"Styles is an idiot. You should put your own mark over his tattoo." One guy suggested.

I was about to shout at him, but held my tongue when Declan's hand pulled at my hair.

"One more thing." He whispered in my ear, taking handcuffs from his pockets.

I begged him with my eyes as he clipped them onto my wrists. He took out another pair with a longer chain between them and put them on my ankles. Lastly, he clipped a leather collar around my neck with a thin chain attached. He grabbed the chain and pulled on it as he walked toward his "friends." I was humiliated, being so exposed and vulnerable in front of so many men.

"Now, slût. Go to the kitchen and bring us all beer. Be quick." Declan commanded, letting go of the chain and taking a seat in the biggest armchair.

I quickly left them and limped to the open doorway to the kitchen, glad to not be under their stares for a moment. I was in nothing but a bra and panties for heaven's sake. I looked around the spacious kitchen for beer and noticed several bottles sitting on the counter. Inspecting them, I saw a note beside them explaining what to do. I was to pour them into glasses and carry them out on a tray.

As I moved to follow the instructions, something caught my eye; a bowl of fruit. My stomach promptly growled at the sight. A simple red apple had never looked so glorious in my life. Glancing at the door, I grabbed an apple and as quickly as I could, began scarfing it. It was gone before I knew it, including the core. Loud laughter coming from the other room suddenly jolted me from my desire to eat another one and I began preparing the beer.

Wincing with every movement, I prepared the beer and picked up the tray with great effort. I didn't have the strength I needed for this job, but I didn't have a choice. Taking a deep breath and telling myself to be brave, I walked back out to the living room. Every face turned to look at me and I felt objectified instantly. Their eyes were on my chest and pelvis.

Setting the tray on the coffee table before them, I was about to just leave it there but Declan told me to hand each man a glass. Frustrated, I did as told without speaking. The third guy I gave a glass to slapped my butt and I gasped. I was sore there and that slap hurt much more than it should have. They all chuckled while I fumed.

"Continue." Declan said to me when I had paused to control my anger.

I continued handing glasses to the men, but now they were all wanting to touch me. That stupid first guy had made them all want to touch me in some way, groping my ass and chest or feeling my legs. Every touch was painful. Some of the gashes were still open and fresh and it took every ounce of strength I had not to scream at them and say what was in my mind. I didn't want to be injured more or worse...ràped.

As the evening progressed, Declan made me serve them other things while they discussed subjects I knew nothing about. The men would always feel me up or trip me on purpose so I'd fall on them, allowing them to touch me way more than I wanted them to. I could do nothing to stop it. Whenever I fell on them, they'd slap my ass repeatedly and I hated that. They'd pull and tug on the chains, making my job much harder than it should have been. I was so humiliated and Declan knew and was enjoying it. 

At one point he grabbed me and slapped my face repeatedly for spilling a few drops of beer onto one of them. When I fell to the carpet, he kicked me several times as well while the men simply watched in amusement. A few even commented that they were glad one of Harry's whôres was getting what she deserved.

After the men had gone, he left me in the living room while he showed them out of the house. Exhausted and spent emotionally, physically, and every other way possible, I sat on a couch, never having been so thankful for a soft surface to sit on. I almost fell asleep there in the few minutes Declan was absent.

"Slût!" He barked suddenly and I snapped awake, scared. "Did I say you could sit there?"

"No." I murmured, standing up slowly. The pain was almost becoming numb, but I still groaned as I stood.

"Then get over here. Time to go back to your cage." Declan stated, taking the chain around my neck and yanking on it.

I stumbled, trying to stay standing while he carelessly pulled me down to the basement. I hadn't noticed how warm it was on the main floor until I was brought back to the basement where it felt like Antarctica. He put me back in the cage without bothering to remove the chains from my wrists, ankles, and neck. He left and turned the light off.

I cuddled myself, preparing for a long night of cold and pain. It was quiet down here—not a sound meeting my ears except for the occasional plumbing sounds from above. I held myself, ignoring how the fresh whip marks stung with contact of the metal cage. I needed to sleep. I wanted to sleep so I could pretend that I wasn't here. I focused on my son's face as I tried to fall into unconsciousness.

A sound suddenly startled me. There was a door on the other side of the room that hadn't been used before. It sounded as though the door was being opened. I sat up, blindly searching the blackness. Being in this cage was terrifying when it seemed that someone else was sneaking into the room.

"Is someone there?" I whispered breathlessly, not daring to hope that it might be Zayn.

The door clicked shut and I backed into the wall of the cage, heart beating madly. My imagination was running wild.

"Hello?" I said in a small voice.

"Shh." Came a response, moving closer to me.

I gasped, trembling in fear at the voice. It was entirely frustrating that it was pitch black. I wanted to scream, but there was no way I wanted Declan coming to my rescue if this happened to be someone bad. I was convinced anyone would be better than Declan.

I could hear footsteps trying to walk silently across the cement floor toward me. Suddenly a small light was shining in my eyes and I shaded my gaze as I was blinded.

"Scarlet! My gosh. We thought we'd never find you." Came the utterly relieved voice of Louis. "What on earth happened to you? Never mind. We told you not run away. How do I get you out of here?"

I had never known such relief. It was a completely shock that I felt such relief at hearing my mortal enemy's voice. "Louis..." I cried, clinging to the cage door desperately. "Please get me out. Please. Before he comes back."

"Before who comes back?" Louis asked, inspecting my beaten body with slight concern on his face.

Just then the basement door at the top of the stairs rattled.

"He's coming! Get me out! Please get me out!" I begged frantically, pointing at the keys on the wall.

Louis bolted to the wall, grabbed the keys and knelt by the cage, fumbling with the lock while I listened in panic as footsteps stomped down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you notice how Declan was filming what he was doing to Scarlet? How horrible that was? That actually happens in real life with a lot of porn on the web. You never know which porn videos are featuring unwilling suffering people. It breaks my heart. Choose not to watch it.


	23. Surprise, Surprise

The light turned on in the basement and Louis finally unlocked the cage, swinging it open and helping me out. I scrambled out of that miserable cage and clung to Louis for support as he helped me stand. Everywhere his hands touched stung painfully.

And that's when Declan reached the bottom of the stairs and boomed, "Stop right there!"

I shook with dread as I saw the evil man standing there, expecting Louis and I to make a break for it. Rather than running for the exit though, Louis didn't move as he held me too tightly and looked across the room at Declan.

"Louis. If we don't try to escape he'll torture me." I fearfully said under my breath.

Louis didn't respond.

"What's the matter? Looks like you've seen a ghost." Declan mocked, stalking closer to us while I tugged on Louis' arm because he wouldn't move.

"Louis please!" I begged, glancing up at his face. Why wasn't he moving?

When I saw his expression, I grew afraid. He was pale white, frozen in shock as he stared at Declan with horrified dread written across his features. His fists were clutching my arms and he almost looked like he would pass out, much to my surprise. He took a step back as Declan got closer. I thought I felt him shake.

"Louis?" I murmured, confused. I never guessed Louis could be afraid of anything.

But I guess I was wrong.

Louis didn't let go of me as he took another step back, his voice small. "I killed you."

Declan chuckled, crossing his burly arms over his chest. "Surprise, surprise. Next time you kill someone, make sure they're actually dead."

Completely confused, I looked from one to the other, becoming more and more anxious. The situation seemed to be declining every second.

"I killed you! I shot you in the head along with your rotten wife!" Louis screamed, becoming frustrated with his fear.

Declan's jaw clenched at the reminder, pure evilness shooting daggers into Louis. "She is dead. I am not. I'll never see her again because you shot her in the face! You will pay for what you did to your mother and I."

My mouth parted in shock as I gasped. I remembered when Harry told me about Louis murdering his parents because of what they did to him. So how could his dad be alive? Now I knew where Louis got his cruel nature.

"It's you who has to pay for what you did to me!" Louis shot back forcefully.

"Because you hated it so much? Looks like you've taken after your mother with her." Declan gestured to me.

Louis shoved me behind him and shouted, "She's not my mother! And you were never my father! I killed you for a reason!"

Now that I was free from his grasp, I wanted to get out of there while there was still a chance. I stepped toward the door and Louis moved with me.

"Slût if you move further I'll beat you with a flogger next." Declan spit out.

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling dread overtake me as I stopped. Conflicted, I didn't know whether to try to run or not. The consequences for running would be too brutal for me to endure. I turned and looked passed Louis.

"Please let me go..." I began to cry.

"Get back in your cage right now, or I'll chain you up and cut my name into your stomach." Declan said unnervingly calmly.

I was filled with terror.

"Don't listen to him, Scarlet. Just run." Louis growled, turning and looking at me. "Let's go. Run!"

The amount of fear on Louis' face startled me.

"I won't give you a second chance." Declan called seriously.

I was frozen in fear, unable to move. Everything was telling me to obey him so I wouldn't be hurt again, but I desperately didn't want to stay. Louis grabbed my arm and began pulling me to the door, but I tugged back controlled by my fear. We wouldn't be able to escape anyway with Declan's countless men.

"Let's go!" Louis yanked on my arm.

Suddenly more footsteps pounded down the stairs and I panicked, crying out desperately, "He'll hurt me if I try to run!"

"There is no try. I'm getting us out of here. Now." He hissed, dragging my weak body across the floor. I tried helping him by walking on my own, but I was so weak that it was a struggle.

Declan was simply standing there watching with an expression that said, we weren't going anywhere. As soon as we reached the door, Louis yanked it open. We were about to exit, but men suddenly came bursting through, shoving his both back inside. I got a breath of fresh air and then it closed again. I gasped, wishing I hadn't tried to leave. Nothing good ever came from my escape attempts.

"Did you really think it would be that easy to escape right in front of me?" Declan taunted, watching as his men held up guns pointed straight at us. I regretted everything right then.

Louis appeared ready to attack any second, but he didn't. He was raging with anger, but unable to act upon it. I stood by him and stared at the guns. They were standing between us and both our ways out. We were trapped.

"Get the fûck out of my way." Louis seethed, hands balled into fists.

Declan simply sneered. "But I've waited so long to see you again, son."

"Don't call me that!" Louis roared, stepping forward.

"Be a good boy and get in this cage." Declan patted the cage next to mine.

"Get this through your fûcking skull, àsshole. You were never my father so quit pretending you were! Now let us go." Louis returned hotly and I could tell he was seconds away from losing it.

"Your mother and I adopted you because we-"

"I hope that putrid smelling hag burns in hell, right along with you when I shoot you in the face again. Tell your minions to get the hell out of my way." Louis gestured to the men blocking our exit.

Declan's jaw tensed as he glared at Louis for a few intense seconds. Opening up the squeaky second cage door, he nodded at it. "Get inside or you will regret ever being born."

Louis stood his ground, being the prideful arrogant idiot he was. "I will never do what you say again. You ruined my life mother-fûcker."

Declan tilted his head in evil amusement. "Now now. We both know out of the two of us, I wasn't the 'mother-fûcker.'"

There was a dead silence.

Louis exploded, screaming in a rage, "You know damn well I never did any of that willingly! You sick animal! If she was still alive I'd cut out her heart and shove it down your throat!"

Cringing, I moved slightly away from Louis because he was quite scary at the moment. Declan waved his hand, his face red with anger. The men behind us came up quickly and grabbed both of us. I struggled helplessly as they forced me back into my cage while Louis was brought to Declan. He was seething with fury and almost strong enough to shove off the three men holding him. Almost.

Declan reached up above his head while staring straight into Louis' eyes. He touched the chains that had been used to restrain my arms above my head. I held my breath in alarm, wondering why Louis hadn't brought backup and how he had found me in the first place. Harry must've known where he went, right? He was probably on his way right then.

The men yanked the heavy coat off Louis and then helped cuff his hands above his head and I grew sick. Was Declan going to do to him what he did to me? I didn't think I could bear to watch that happen to him, but then a memory flickered to the surface of my mind.

I remembered the time several campers and I went skinny dipping in the lake at Camp Harmony. The boys had shown up so I went back to my cabin, but Louis was there when I returned. He had beaten me harshly and stripped my swimsuit off before cruelly ràping me on all fours. I had begged him. I had done everything I could to get him to stop, but he wouldn't. And that was only one time. He had done that same thing countless other times and enjoyed it, often with a smile on his face. He was a monster.

I could stand to watch him suffer for everything he did.

Louis' arms were finally restrained to the ceiling and he was furious, his eyes shooting poison to anyone who looked at him. Declan came up in front of him and took hold of his shirt, ripping it down the middle. He quickly ripped it completely off so Louis was bare chested and angry.

"All this hatred you have for me," Declan began, tossing the tattered shirt onto the floor, "all this anger you're showing for me. It's all an act to hide the paralyzing fear that you truly feel. I know it."

"You know nothing." Louis snarled.

Walking over to his table of objects to inflict pain, he picked up a heavy strap. "Look familiar?"

I watched in anxiousness while Louis' confidence wavered slightly.

"I seem to recall this old friend making frequent reappearances to you. Of course it was always in my hand. Don't you remember?" Declan taunted cruelly, holding it up to Louis' face.

I thought I saw Louis glance at me, but he quickly raised his nose. "When I get half a chance, I will kill you."

Declan rubbed his bald head and smirked. "Not if I kill you first, boy. But for now, I'm just going to enjoy inflicting pain on you for murdering my wife. I'm sure this will bring back memories of when we were a happy family."

Declan walked around Louis and lashed the strap onto his skin with as much force as he could muster. I flinched. Louis grunted, but kept up his ominous scowl. The strikes kept coming, but Louis remained strong. It was only when his back began to bleed that he started to groan in pain and pull against the cuffs.

I couldn't keep watching. Yes, it had been satisfying for a few seconds to see him being hurt like he had hurt me and to see him groan in pain like I had so many times under his hands. But I wasn't sadistic. No matter who he was or what he did, I couldn't simply enjoy watching him suffer. It was actually miserable to see his face contort in agony now that blood was seeping down his skin.

I curled up and hid my face, plugging my ears as Declan relentlessly whipped Louis. His groans became more urgent and pained the more time passed and I started to cry. I didn't want to hear it anymore. I was shaking when Declan finally stopped. Watching someone suffer was not something I could handle. I just wanted it to stop, even though Louis deserved it.

I glanced up and saw Louis being uncuffed and he dropped to the floor, breathing deeply. The men standing around grabbed his arms and dragged him to the cage next to mine and forced him into it before shutting the door. Louis laid in a curled up position because the cage wasn't very big. Declan stood in front of the cages.

"It's refreshing to relive the old days is it not, son? I always had to put you back in your place. How humorous is it that I'm still doing it?" Declan laughed at Louis' silence and then began walking back upstairs.

Looking at Louis, he avoided my eyes and moved to his other side so I couldn't see his face. My stomach turned at the sight of his bloodied back. Declan hadn't beaten me nearly that badly...probably because I would have died.

Sticking my fingers through the squares of the cage, I whispered. "Louis?"

The lights turned off then and the door upstairs slammed. My heart beat sped up.

"Shut the hell up." He returned, but his voice was weak and quiet.

"Louis, is Harry coming?" I breathed.

He didn't answer right away, moaning a little as he shifted. And then he murmured, "Harry will find us."


	24. An Unexpected Sacrifice

Time. There was no such thing down in this dark cave-like basement. There was no way to tell how much time had passed before Declan came down again to torment us.

Standing before the cages, he studied us both for a moment before unlocking Louis'. He just sat there though, not coming out. Declan simply forced him out of the cage and shoved him to the ground. I was in shock honestly, seeing Louis on the floor in such a state. I'd never imagined he could be pushed around like this. I stayed quiet, not wanting to attract the wrath of my captor.

"You're pathetic, boy. Do you know that? You can't even fight back. Why did Harry ever want you in his gang anyway? You're useless. Nothing but useless trash." Declan taunted bitterly, giving Louis' already bruised body a good kick.

Growling in anger, Louis surprisingly stumbled to his feet, swaying a little. He lunged at Declan, but he was weak enough that Declan had a huge advantage. Louis was struck to the floor again. The muscles in his injured back and arms strained to keep him from collapsing fully. Then he went to stand again. He was the most stubborn person I'd ever met. It wasn't long before Declan got his despicable whip out and began using it on defenseless Louis without even chaining him up.

"I can't handle this..." I whimpered under my breath, closing my eyes and curling into a ball.

Not hearing me, Declan spoke up while he continued beating his adopted son. "He probably never told you about his childhood, did he slût?"

When I didn't respond, Declan paused, gripping a leather strap now. "We adopted him when he was fourteen months old. My wife wanted a baby boy to love and cherish... Well, she loved him a little too much, if you know what I mean."

Louis made a low animal noise, clenching his teeth and scowling up at Declan as he panted for air. Declan smirked, but it was twisted and full of malice.

"All throughout his growing up years, we would beat him. There was just something about his tear stained face that gave us joy. It was fun. I beat him. And she touched him. She molested him frequently and ràped him a few times." Declan explained to me, prowling around Louis predatorily.

I grimaced in horror.

Louis let out an angry cry. "Shut the hell up fool! Don't say another fûcking word or I'll dislocate your head from your shoulders."

Shaking, I wanted nothing more than to vanish from this place. It was too much, witnessing Declan treating another person like this and hearing about Louis' past was sickening.

"Yes, he started fighting back after he met Harry. But he was never a match for me. He still isn't. Even after all this time, I can still beat his bloody ass." Declan lashed the strap onto Louis' exposed back.

Louis tried to crawl out of reach, but it was useless. He was too injured to do anything to defend himself. He finally just froze, letting Declan's strap rip through his skin repeatedly.

Squeezing my eyes closed and plugging my ears, my body quaked with inner agony at the sounds of Louis' pained cries. One cannot bear this kind of torture, even if the person in danger is someone who is deeply loathed. 

Every sense in my body in overdrive, I finally snapped and let a piercing scream rip through the room. When silence followed, I looked up at the two men who were staring back at me in bewilderment. Louis was gasping for air as he struggled to hold his head up.

"Stop hitting him." I spoke up fearfully yet boldly.

Declan laughed, throwing his head back in amusement. "You stupid whôre. As if I would take orders from you, worthless garbage. Shut your mouth."

Tears stinging my eyes, I glared at him, sick of the way he spoke to me. "Please don't hit him anymore."

The humor vanishing from his expression, Declan clutched the weapon in his hand tightly. He cocked his head dangerously. "I've got a hell of a lot more beating to do. I ain't stopping now."

He turned away and struck him again more forcefully and I slammed my fists into the cage wall, shouting out in desperation, "Hurt me instead!"

I had no idea where that came from, but it was too late to take it back now. The words were out there. I just couldn't stand witnessing Louis being tortured so cruelly, even though it was Louis, whom I hated. It was so inhumane.

Declan glanced back curiously, probably confused as to why I said that. He knows I must hate Louis because of what he's done to me. My body trembled as he crouched in front of me.

His eyes twinkled. "As you wish, bîtch."

As Declan quickly pulled me out and over to the ceiling chains, I tried to remain calm and brave. I glanced down at Louis who was lying on the floor, his cheek pressed to the cold cement. His eyes were open and he was frowning, breathing hard.

With no way to prepare myself for the pain to come, I simply held my head up and stared Declan in the eye. He wasn't acting all arrogant and cocky now. He was simply watching me closely, probably trying to figure out why the hell I did this to myself. I tensed up when he swung his fist, punching me in the stomach.

"Why?" I croaked out, tears welling up again. "Why be so cruel?"

"Shut up." He hissed and swung his arm again.

•••

After we were both thrown into the cages again and left alone, I sat on my heels and looked over at Louis. The pain was starting to feel numb, but at the same time my body was ignited in fire.

Louis was curled in on himself as he glared at me. "Why did you do such a stupid thing?"

"Stupid?" I breathed, offended.

"He almost seriously injured you. I can take it. You're too fragile." Louis told me weakly, not even trying to sit up.

"I just...I can't bear to watch someone suffer. It's the worst torture of all." I hung my head, wincing as the movement brought soreness to my neck.

"It was stupid." He snapped, glaring at me. "I don't know why you did it."

"Compassion, Louis." I whispered softly.

"Whatever. You're too damn selfless. You're gonna get yourself killed." He muttered and turned to lay on his other side with great difficulty. "This is all your fault."

"You're the one who decided to come alone." I returned.

"Harry was supposed to know where I was going. It was only when I arrived that I realized my phone was broken and useless. He has no way to track it now." Louis told me sourly. "It's still your fault."

"No, Louis. It's yours. You should never have kidnapped me in the first place and then all this would never have-"

"Scarlet if you don't shut the fûck up I'm going to..." His sentence died when he remembered he couldn't do anything because he was locked up. He simply scowled and laid his head down.

Feeling dizzy and weak, I laid down as well and closed my eyes. Within seconds I had drifted off to sleep.

After being starved for a week, Declan finally gave me food. With my stomach having shrunk, I couldn't eat very much. But I ate as much as I could of the chunky soup he gave to us. I wondered why he didn't just let us starve to death if he hated us so much, but perhaps he wanted to drag out our deaths so he could have fun torturing us longer.

The next time Declan came down to hurt Louis, I intervened again. I couldn't handle watching and listening to his pain. I didn't know what had come over me that would make me have this level of compassion for him. Declan's beatings were miserable. But for some reason I would rather experience them myself than watch a person be brutally beaten.

Every time Declan came down, I would beg him not to hurt Louis. Was I going mad? It's quite likely. Or perhaps I simply had a bigger heart than most.

Whatever the reason, I would repeatedly sacrifice myself for Louis...and it was miserable.

Declan would almost always grant my request so I would be hurt instead of him. Louis didn't understand me. He didn't understand why I was doing it. I knew that he would never do something like this for anyone let alone someone he hated. He was probably in complete confusion.

Lately he wasn't speaking much, which was a surprise. Rather than passing time cracking crude jokes and teasing me with sexual innuendos like normal, he would simply lay in his cage silently. I often caught him staring at me with a look I'd never seen on him before. It wasn't the kind of look Harry or Zayn gave me, but it certainly wasn't a look full of disdain. I couldn't quite place it.

Declan would only give us enough food and water to keep us from dying. We were always hungry, always cold, and always dirty. Louis had long lost his jeans as well so he was only wearing boxers now. My black lingerie was close to breaking off my body from his whips and straps which were wearing out the material. And on top of everything, I became sick for a time, coughing, puking, and feeling terrible.

While I was sick, Declan left me alone mostly and even turned the heat on to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. But during that time Louis had to take his own beatings. When I got better I continued to be beaten for him though. Louis never stopped me.

After every session, I'd be thrown back into my cage and I'd look at Louis while I gasped for air. He was always watching me, sitting curled up silently. And finally I realized that he was always looking at me in wonderment when I sacrificed myself for him. He wouldn't say anything to me. Even when I spoke to him he would refuse to speak. But he would always look at me in a sort of awe.

One day while we were deeply entertained by our daily routine of sitting and staring into the dark, Declan came down again. But this time was different.

He came up to both our cages and squatted down, holding his phone. He looked at each of us with an expression which screamed that he was hiding something. He glanced at his phone and smirked.

"I have good news. Well...good news for me, not so good for you. Well, I suppose Louis wouldn't be too butt hurt because he was betrayed by this guy, but anyway..."

I sat up, glancing at Louis who was staring at the wall and ignoring Declan altogether. I didn't like the sound of what he just said.

Declan continued, cutting right to the chase, "I just killed this fellow."

My stomach lurched wildly as he turned his phone around to show us a picture. Instantly my world grew fuzzy and I couldn't breathe.

But before I could say or do anything, Louis broke the quietness with a surprising outburst, slamming his fists into the cage, "You bàstard! You better not have touched Niall! I'll rip your bloody head off if you touched a hair on his head!"

Mouth hanging open, I stared at the picture on the screen. Niall was lying on filthy cement, apparently unconscious and covered in blood.

A knife was embedded in his chest.

"Well, I don't like repeating myself but it seems I must. I killed him." Declan spoke dangerously.

"No, you cannot have!" My voice shook. Niall was the least deserving of this! I was filled with an overwhelming amount of anger and sorrow that I couldn't control.

"You didn't kill him! You're lying! You're just trying to torture me!" Louis roared, rage emanating from him like heat waves.

"It was an easy kill. He practically let me sink my knife into his heart." Declan gloated.

Louis was suddenly going ballistic, crashing his fists into the cage and screaming profanities and threatening to do dreadfully brutal things to Declan when he got the chance. I was in shock and not hearing most of it. It couldn't be true! I scanned the picture closer, desperate to find something off. It must be a dummy. A fake. But there was no denying that the likeness was too exact. It was true.

Niall was dead.


	25. A Moment to Breathe

"This is all your fault!" Louis yelled at me when Declan left us. "If you hadn't ran away-"

"Don't even start, Louis. You know it's not my fault." I hissed, hugging my knees.

"He didn't deserve to die. He didn't even want to get involved with this, but he felt like he had to protect you from us. And now he's dead!" Louis' chest heaved as he breathed hard in frustrated fury.

"I thought you hated him." I whispered sadly.

"We've all been best friends since we were kids. Obviously we were angry at him, but it's been three fûcking years. We got over it." Louis snarled, eyes fixed in front of him.

Resting my chin on my arms, my lips shook as my eyes stung. Niall was the only one to never have ràped me. Why did it have to be him? He deserved a lot of things, but certainly not death.

"When I am free, I am going to slaughter him with my bare hands for murdering my mate." Louis spat out furiously. "He doesn't know what he's just done."

Not knowing what else to say because of how surprised I was at the level of Louis' grief, I fell silent. Despite how angry the boys were at Niall for betraying them, they still cared about him. I didn't exactly understand that because of who they were.

"I can't believe this! It can't be true. It just can't." Louis clenched his teeth, his face showing all the anguish he must be feeling.

Slowly his anger turned into something else—something I'd never seen before in Louis. He leaned back against the metal cage and stared ahead, his chest rising and falling rapidly. I thought I saw him shake.

"I never told him that I'm..." He began in a whisper, looking as though he was on the verge of freaking out.

But rather than exploding again, he took me by surprise and broke down. Well, not exactly broke down. But I knew I saw a tear slip down his cheek before he turned away from me. Then he lay down facing the stairs and fell silent. I knew he was grieving, so I left him alone. I had never seen Louis cry. I didn't even know it was physically possible for him.

Lying back, I took a moment to recall everything Niall had done for me. He had never hurt me deliberately like the others. He even called the cops on himself and the rest. He was always on my side, even though he would usually work with Harry and the others. I knew he didn't want to hurt me or make me miserable. Niall's heart was in a good place. So why did it have to be him?

•••

"Rise and shine my pitiful prisoners." Declan called out, waking both of us up from sleep days later.

Who knew how much time had passed since we learned of Niall's fate? It was impossible to to keep track of the days and Louis had hardly said a word since then. It was like I was alone, but I wasn't.

"Get the fûck out." Louis grumbled.

"With an attitude like that, I may just take back the gift I was going to give you two." Declan mocked, hands on hips.

"Gift, my ass." Louis mumbled.

"Shh, son. Or I will take back my gift and leave you here in the cold with open wounds that need attention." He threatened.

"What gift?" I murmured in a small voice.

"You don't speak." He pointed at me. "You know what happens if you do, stupid bîtch. But seeing as you're both confused, I'll enlighten you."

I hung my head, wanting to cry from his words even though I heard them every day. He made me feel worthless. He made me feel as though my existence didn't matter. It was difficult to think anything else when he was the only one speaking to me. Here in this lonely dark cave, I was nothing but a piece of trash.

Declan stroked his chin. "I'm giving you both a meaningless gift, seeing as it's Christmas Day and I don't want you dying just yet."

"It's Christmas?" I murmured under my breath in disbelief. If today was Christmas, then I had been trapped here for over a month. That realization took my breath away. I immediately became even more depressed at the thought of how much longer I could be in this horrible place.

"So I'm letting you out to tend to each other's wounds. Can't have you getting infected and dying now can I? Since it's getting colder every day, you each get a blanket as well." Declan tossed two blankets onto the table and a bag.

He unlocked them and stepped back. "I'll give you an hour out of your cages. Have each other's wounds fixed up by then, understand?"

He left the objects on the table and then walked back upstairs. I thought there might be food so I weakly crawled out of the cage and tried to stand. My strength failed and I couldn't stay standing. I'd become so weak.

Louis also moved out of his cage, but he stood to his feet fine. He was in better shape since I had been taking the beatings for him. Nearing me, Louis reached down and touched my shoulder, causing me to flinch and shrink away.

"Shh." He took hold of me and helped me stand while I moaned in discomfort.

"Ow." I groaned, surprised by the gentle way Louis was holding me.

Whimpering in frustration when he had to hold me up so I wouldn't fall, I leaned on him while he led me over to the table. Shivering, I reached into the bag, searching for food. I pulled out a package of bagels and eagerly ripped it open. Hungrily, I stuffed one into my mouth, ravenous for food. Louis also grabbed one and ate it quickly.

"Mm." I moaned, sinking to the floor when Louis let go of me.

He quickly bent down and helped me up again. Lifting me up, he set me on the table and patted the hard wood.

"Lie on your stomach." He instructed.

Stopping mid chew, I stared at him.

Louis could probably tell my thoughts because he grumbled while finishing up his first bagel, "I'm not gonna hurt you. Lie down so I can look at your wounds."

Nodding slowly, I kept eating while I shuffled my position on the table to lie on my stomach. I cradled my arms close to me and nibbled on another bagel while Louis stood at the edge of the table and lightly touched my back. I winced at the contact. Everywhere hurt.

"Bloody hell..." Louis cursed.

Glancing up at him tiredly, I frowned. "Will I have scars for the rest of my life?"

"Some will scar, yeah. If they had a chance to heal before he whips you again you wouldn't have scars. But he won't stop. He just keeps..." Louis shook his head, running a finger along the lines on my back.

"I'm tired, Louis." I murmured.

"We'll get out soon." He promised.

"We should have been found by now." I whispered.

"Just don't give up, alright?" Louis encouraged me.

"Louis." I spoke hesitantly.

"What?" He answered, rifling through the bag Declan had left.

"If we get out...will you ever hurt me again?" I asked softly.

He stopped for a moment, not responding. And then he inhaled deeply, ignoring my question while he unscrewed a bottle of water. Unexpectedly, he started pouring water onto my back and I cried out, jerking up to get away from it. Louis easily made me lie back down.

"I know it hurts, but I need to clean your skin up." He told me, pouring a small stream all over my back.

I whimpered, tensing my muscles in pain. "It hurts!"

"I know." He assured me, keeping a hand on my head so I wouldn't move away.

As he started patting my back with something, I tried to block out the pain and think of something else, but it didn't work. My bra straps were irritating my skin more and making it miserable, but obviously I wouldn't take it off.

"He hit your ass too didn't he? I need to take a look at it." Louis said.

"No!" I gasped, reaching behind me to stop him. "Don't."

He stopped, tilting a head at me with zero amusement in his eyes whatsoever. "I need to. I'm not going to do anything to you but try to help your skin heal. I just need to look, maybe clean it up a little."

Lip shaking, I hesitantly lay back down obediently and stared off at the opposite wall where the door to outside was. I really wanted my skin to heal. So I let him pull my panties down to my thighs, but I kept my legs together.

His fingers were more gentle than they had ever been to me. I kept glancing back to make sure it was actually Louis helping me. He worked silently, cleaning the cuts and gashes from Declan's whips and knifes. When he was satisfied he replaced my panties and had me sit on the edge of the table so he could inspect the front of my body. My stomach had several gashes, but the majority had been on my back.

"It's a wonder he hasn't taken the rest of your clothes." Louis noted.

Anxious that Declan might do just that, I shivered with nerves. Louis touched my chin briefly and then put down the objects he was using to clean my wounds, taking another bite of a bagel.

"Maybe these ice packs will help the bruises on your face to heal quicker." He said, taking a few out of the bag.

I took one and touched it to my cheek, wincing. I must look terrible.

“Do I...am I completely repulsive?” I whispered.

He eyed my face thoughtfully, noticing my troubled expression and he let his gaze wander over my battered body. “I still see you underneath it all.”

I didn't think Louis would lie about that. He had always been blunt and honest about what he thought about my appearance. It kind of made me hopeful that I wasn't completely ruined, but I still felt like my skin was shredded.

"My turn." Louis said and then got onto the table next to me, lying on his stomach expectantly.

Without another thought, I began to help him, not thinking about the fact that I was cleaning the wounds of my mortal enemy. I simply began pouring water over his skin like he had to me. Louis' back muscles clenched as he hissed through his teeth, but he stayed there so I could clean him.

"Fûck that hurts." He groaned.

As I cleaned, I remembered how bitter I was toward him and stopped being as careful with my movements.

"I don't understand why you've been so cruel to me when you know exactly what it's like to be treated that way." I commented quietly.

He didn't respond. He only struggled to keep his composure while I dabbed some sort of liquid all over.

When I was finished, he sat up and sat next to me, our legs dangling off the edge. He unfolded a blanket and wrapped it around both of us. The blanket hurt my skin, but I was so cold I didn't care. Exhausted, I couldn't stop my head from falling to the side, resting on Louis' shoulder. He tensed, but didn't shove me away like I expected him to. He wasn't one for sentimental moments.

We sat like that for a while, munching on bagels and sipping water. Some Christmas this was. I wanted to cry. I couldn't spend Caspian's third Christmas with him. Did he miss me? Did he call for me? Was he safe and well? My heart ached for him. I longed to embrace him and kiss his little curly head.

We were startled suddenly by the upstairs door opening and heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. I moved closer to Louis and he held me tighter. I would rather be close to evil Louis than be subjected to more painful beatings from his psychotic adopted dad.

"Alright back in your cages, both of you." Declan announced, coming toward the table.

Louis stepped off and helped me down, the blanket slipping off of us. Suddenly I felt a snap on my back and my bra loosened. I gasped, realizing that my bra must have broken. I held onto the front and looked to Louis in worry.

"What happened slût?" Declan sneered, coming over to us and looking down at my hand.

"Um..." I was scared to tell him.

"She needs a new bra." Louis answered for me and I nodded. "Give her one."

"A new one? Oh, it broke did it? Must have gotten worn down by my whips." He laughed to himself, reaching out to me.

I shrank away and Louis tried to step in front of me, which surprised me, but Declan simply shoved him and he fell. Taking hold of my bra. He jerked it from my body and put it in a pocket.

"You don't get a new bra." Declan taunted.

Shaking, I wavered on my feet, ready to collapse as I covered my breasts. "Please, I need something to wear."

"I said no. And since you're stupid enough to speak without permission, I'll take your panties too." He easily overpowered me and jerked my panties down my legs and pushed me over so he could remove them completely.

I choked on a sob as I scrambled for the blanket. Hurriedly wrapping it around my naked body, I crawled toward Louis. Declan roughly nudged me toward my cage instead and wouldn't stop until I had crawled back into it. Then he gripped Louis' hair and dragged him to his own cage, shoving him inside. Louis scowled when the door was slammed shut. Declan collected everything he brought down and then went back upstairs.

The light was left on, probably because he forgot to turn it off. He did that sometimes. Louis looked at me and huffed in frustration.

"I can't stay in this cage any longer. I'll go crazy." He murmured.

"Now you know how I felt at Camp Harmony." I pointed out softly.

My point hitting him hard, he turned away and laid down. I followed suit shortly after because sitting up required energy that I didn't have. I hated that I was now completely naked. At least I had the blanket so Louis couldn't see...not that he hadn't seen it before. I covered every part of me with the blanket and then covered my face, hoping to create some warmth for myself and then drifted into sleep.

•••

After several days left alone in the basement, Declan took the blankets from us when Louis punched him because Declan was bad mouthing Niall. We were cold again and hungry. I was sure I would soon die in my sleep because of the cold. I couldn't feel my fingers or toes and it was worse now that I was naked.

Louis watched me, not in a lustful way, but in an admiring way. I stayed curled in a ball, hiding my private areas from him. He never talked. He was abnormally quiet, appearing depressed and miserable. Declan came down a few times since I lost all of my clothes. He didn't care that I was naked. He strung me up and hurt me just like always. Honestly I was stunned that he didn't sexually abuse me.

My sleep was agony. The nightmares haunted me and kept me awake and scared. Every time I closed my eyes, I was violated. I was always surrounded by them, unable to defend myself.

Even tonight, they taunted me in my dreams. Harry stood there in the shadows, staring at me while I was tied down to a bed. Louis appeared at my side, looking at me with an eager smile. And Liam was on my left, tightening my restraints.

"Niall!" I called for help.

"He's not coming. You killed him, remember?" Louis spat, holding a knife.

"No, I didn't!" I insisted.

"Scarlet." Harry said my name, taking a step closer.

"We need someone to take Niall's place." Liam said to the others.

"I know just the guy." Louis smirked, pulling someone from behind him.

Zayn stood there, a roll of duct tape in hand.

"Zayn, help me!" I cried, struggling against the tightening ropes.

"No, Scarlet. I'm with them now. I was always supposed to return to them. I never should have left." Zayn told me seriously.

"No!" I cried out, watching in horror as they all began to close in on me.

"Make sure you make it hurt." Came the voice of Declan from the darkness.

I screamed.

"Scarlet?" Harry said in concern, pushing Louis aside and touching my cheek.

"Help me!" I begged.

"Scarlet? Wake up." Harry said and I was suddenly confused.

"Scarlet!"

I was suddenly back in the cage in Declan's basement. Lifting my head up, I peered into the darkness and noticed a body standing in front of me.

"Scarlet, get up and tell me how to get you of here." Harry ordered in a stern tone.

"What?" I asked, wondering why this dream felt different.

"How do I get you out of here?" Harry asked again.

"The key on the wall!" Louis hissed.

And then suddenly I snapped fully awake, my senses on high alert. I wasn't dreaming anymore. I blinked several times, watching the dream Harry dash to the wall for the keys and run back to my cage. Was I going crazy? Why was part of my dream still here?

Harry dropped to his knees in front of my cage. "Bloody hell Scarlet. Are you alright?"

"What?" I breathed, not understanding. "You're real?"

"Louis, what's wrong with her?" Harry asked in concern when he moved to Louis' cage and opened it first.

"She's been like this for a few days. She keeps seeing things. She's just confused." Louis answered.

"Harry?" I gasped, clutching the metal cage wall frantically.

My vision kept blacking out, but I kept my head up. Was Harry really here? I couldn't believe it. How could it be true?

"You're here?" I murmured weakly.

"Yes, I'm here. I'm getting you out." Harry assured me, reaching into Louis' cage and helping his friend out.

"Get me out. Harry. Please get me out." I began to panic when Harry helped Louis to his feet and slung his arm over his shoulder. "Harry!"

"I'm coming back for you." Harry told me while he hurriedly helped Louis passed me and toward the door to the outside. They disappeared out the door.

"Harry, don't leave me! Don't leave me here! Please get me out! I don't want to stay here anymore Harry! Harry!" I cried, banging on the cage door in fright.

I was terrified of being left here alone. Tears streamed from my eyes as I kept calling Harry. I was so spent, so out of my mind that I didn't even think about being quiet in case Declan heard me. I was overwhelmingly desperate to get out of here. Right when I thought Harry had left me here, he appeared again and rushed to my cage, unlocking it and swinging the door open.

I scrambled out, using what little adrenaline I could muster in the moment and reached for him, not caring that it was Harry whom I was embracing as if he were life itself. I wasn't fully realizing that I was still naked, because I was slowly losing my sanity. He held me for a brief second and then pulled me up with him. When it became clear to him that I couldn't stand, he scooped me up and headed for the door.

I rested my head on his shoulder and cuddled my arms against him. I let out soft whimpers and wet his sweatshirt with my tears. He simply carried me across the filthy floor and to the door, silently and somberly. Exiting the basement, I gasped in the fresh winter air and wasn't surprised to see snow everywhere. I was chilled at the stark coldness out here. It was even worse than inside.

"Please, hurry. He'll catch us." My teeth chattered as he carried me straight to a black car. "I can't go back there. I'll die."

"He's not catching anyone." Harry told me.

He set me down carefully in the passenger's seat and shut the door. I glanced back, seeing Louis lying in the back seat with a blanket over him. His eyes were closed and he was asleep. Harry quickly got into the driver's seat and stepped on the gas after giving me his sweatshirt, leaving Declan's hellhole in the dust.


	26. Recovery

All of a sudden I was being jostled awake, someone putting their arms under my body and I sat straight up in fear. Confusion jumbled my brain as I tried to register where I was. The brightness of the sun through the clouds was painful. I wasn't in the basement any longer, instead I was in a car and several people were talking at once.

I jerked my head to the side and came face to face with Harry as he began lifting me out of the car. And then I remembered.

"Harry..." I breathed, not noticing I was only wearing his sweatshirt and my lower half was exposed to the world.

"I've got you, Scarlet. You're safe now." Harry told me so no one else could hear.

"Bloody hell, Harry! She looks half dead." Liam was exclaiming in shock and touching my cheek delicately as though I might break. "She's not strong enough to be treated like this! How much weight has she lost? Get her inside quick. I'll get Louis."

As Harry began walking toward the door with me in his arms, Liam began exclaiming again from behind us. "Louis! What in hell? Are you alright mate? I'll help you walk. Damn you look positively broken."

I looked back, seeing Liam carrying Louis after us. Liam seemed frantic and horrified at the state of Louis and I. There was another guy standing around whom I'd never seen before and he closed the car doors and followed us. Snow covered the ground and I moaned in defeat when Harry carried me inside of the house which I'd gone to so much trouble to escape. Now here I was, back inside of it.

Carrying me across the living room, Harry held me close as he headed up the stairs. I was too weak and exhausted to resist at all. So I let him carry me into his room and set me on his bed.

"Please, I want my own room." I whispered, my voice small. I didn't want to be in his room simply because of the fact that it was his.

"I can keep a better eye on you here. Just lie still." He told me, his face filled with worry.

I decided not to argue because that's when I realized that Harry's bed was the most comfortable thing I'd ever laid upon. That probably wasn't true, but I hadn't rested on a bed in over a month, having been forced to sleep in a metal cage. So the bed I was laying on felt so deliciously heavenly that I fell silent because I didn't want to move. Harry began pacing as he looked at me and then when the stranger walked in, Harry rushed to him.

"You've got to help her. She looks like she's in pain. And she was so cold when I found her...will she be alright?" He said in a rush, watching the man anxiously as he bent close to me with the stranger.

"She's in much worse condition than Louis, I'll say that much. She's been beaten badly and they're both almost starved to death. I must say I'm surprised she's still alive." The man said with a sigh. "Get her some food. Chicken noodle soup or something light."

Harry nodded and hurried from the room, leaving me alone with this unknown guy. Not knowing who this man was, I squirmed and attempted to sit up to get away from him when he began feeling my legs.

"It's alright honey. I'm just a doctor trying to help you. You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm a trusted friend of Harry's." He said in a comforting way.

"Any trusted friend of Harry's isn't a friend of mine." I murmured, heart beating faster.

"I know who he is and what he does. That stuff's not for me and I don't condone it. But somebody's got to take care of all the people he hurts. Name's Gerald." He said.

"Just...make the pain go away." I asked weakly, unable to move much.

He nodded, telling me he had to take my top off so he could tend to all the marks on my skin. I protested a little, but let him in the end because I just wanted the pain to disappear. It seemed like everyone had seen me naked so what was one more? He helped me into some of Harry's boxers and then turned me onto my stomach so my bare chest was pressed into the fluffy bedspread.

Then Harry walked in, holding a bowl. I could smell whatever it was and lifted my head eagerly. He came over and knelt beside the bed where my head was while Gerald examined my skin.

"Just lift your head and open your mouth. I'll feed you, alright?" Harry murmured, holding up a spoonful of hot soup. In the end he had to help me lift my head.

Opening my mouth, I took in the spoonful and swallowed. Tears came to my eyes and I couldn't help a tear from sliding down my cheek.

"What's wrong, love?" Harry asked in concern.

I sniffled. "It's just so good. It's been so long since I've had hot good food."

He smiled at me in sympathy, giving me more soup. "This is exactly what I was trying to protect you from. Now do you understand?"

"Don't." I murmured, shaking my head. I didn't want to hear 'I told you so.'

Just then Liam walked in. "Harry Louis' asking for you."

"I'll come after I've finished feeding Scarlet. I won't be long." Harry turned to look at him. "Is he alright?"

Liam sighed, sliding a hand through his hair tiredly. "Not really. He's not talking much, which worries me. He's also asking for Scarlet."

"I'll be right there." Harry answered, continuing to spoon soup into my mouth.

"Okay." Liam responded.

He turned to leave, but Harry stopped him. "Call Niall and tell him we found them. He's probably still looking."

"I did, but he hasn't picked up. Hasn't responded to my texts either. He's probably on his way back." Liam shrugged and left the room.

My throat went dry and I stared at Harry.

They didn't know.

I couldn't tell them about Niall so I tried to hide my sadness. They had to find out sometime but now wasn't the time. Perhaps Louis should tell them anyway. When I'd slurped the last bit of soup, Harry stood to leave, but I moaned for more.

"I shouldn't give you too much to eat right away. I don't want to make you sick." He told me, leaning down and brushing hair out of my face.

I closed my eyes and moved my head a little, signifying that I didn't want him to touch me. He recoiled and then glanced at the doctor.

"Hurry up and fix her up. We're leaving tonight." Harry instructed before leaving the room.

Leaving? Did he mean leaving this house? I wondered what he meant. I just wanted to be with the people I cared about. I wanted my son, my dad, my mom, my brother, and Zayn.

"Let me see your wrists." Gerald spoke up, taking one of my wrists and examining the injured skin and bruises there. "What are these from?"

"Chains." I whispered in a small voice.

"You've had a rough time haven't you?" He said gravely.

I didn't respond, just let him fix up the open cuts and gashes and thankfully he gave me some painkillers. He wrapped some bandages around my wrists and gave me ice for my bruised face. Since it hurt too much to lay on my back, I had to stay in my stomach, which wasn't very comfortable. Pretty soon he had situated me under a thin sheet where I felt the most comfortable and I was drifting off to sleep.

Then Harry came in and began talking to Gerald. "Can you get her in the car? We need to leave."

"Man, I just got her comfortable. She's completely exhausted and needs sleep. Can't you leave tomorrow?" The doctor argued.

"We need to leave tonight." Harry insisted.

"Leave at first light. Let her have some sleep. She needs it." The man said.

With my eyes closed, I didn't know what they were doing, but I could hear Harry sigh.

"I'll give her two hours. Then we're leaving, we can't risk any more time." Harry decided reluctantly.

The door closed and footsteps neared the bed. Nervous about having Harry get in the bed with me, I squirmed a little. I heard him shuffling about and then the bed sank under his weight. I moaned in resistance and tensed up.

"Are you afraid I'll do something?" He whispered.

Opening my eyes, I stared at him in agreement and nodded slowly. "Aren't you angry I ran away?"

"Scarlet...You've been tortured for almost two months. You're practically immobile and have scars and bruises all over your body—not to mention you were almost frozen and starved to death when we found you. I'm not going to do anything. You don't have to be afraid of me." He told me seriously.

I simply closed my eyes again. He sighed and laid down beside me, not touching me. I could feel his eyes on me though. He probably thought I was hideous now that my face was splotched with blood and black and blue bruises. I simply held onto the sheet so he couldn't see any part of my skin besides my head.

"I'll protect you from him." He murmured. "Just don't leave me."

I ignored him because everything was his fault and I didn't want to deal with his insanity. I simply kept my eyes closed. The next thing I knew I was being woken by Harry and the doctor. It seemed impossible that two hours had already passed, but I guess they had. They helped me out of the bed and dressed me in loose warm clothes. Harry put a hat on my head and put his slippers on my feet, which were much too big. And then he carried me out of his room and down the stairs.

Liam and Louis were there, with Louis on the couch and Liam hunched over, his hands covering his face. When our presence was known, Liam stood upright and turned to us while Louis continued staring straight ahead. Harry stopped abruptly at the sight of Liam's tear streaked face.

"Liam?" Harry spoke cautiously, unsure of what to think.

"Harry it's..." Liam took a deep breath, wiping at his cheeks with his hands. "It's Niall."

"What about Niall?" Harry snapped quickly.

"He's gone." Louis spoke up when it was clear Liam couldn't speak.

Harry went very still, his hold on me tightening. "What the fûck do you mean he's gone?"

But he knew very well what Louis meant and his breathing quickened rapidly.

"What the hell do you mean?!" Harry repeated louder.

"He's gone Harry. Declan killed him and there's nothing we can do!" Liam returned, his voice filled with sorrow and his eyes wet with tears.

Harry's face turned to stone and he pursed his lips. "Get in the car. We're leaving right now."

"But what do we do? He's gone!" Liam threw his hands up.

"Get in the car." Harry repeated coldly, swiftly carrying me out the front door and down the pathway.

"Where are you taking me?" I murmured.

"Some place safe. He probably knows about this house now." Harry said, clearly thinking about something else as he carried me to the backseat of his car.

Liam was soon in the back with me and Louis was in the front, bundled up and already asleep. The trunk was piled with stuff. Liam put a blanket over me and buckled me up while Harry spoke to Gerald for a moment before hopping into the driver's seat stoically. Then he sped off.

I worried for our safety when Harry started out driving like a mad man. But he soon got his shît together and drove normally. As I leaned against the window, I watched the side of Harry's face. I could see a strong frown in his brows and knew he must be hurting inside. Even a few tears slid down his cheeks.

The death of their friend was something that could make them cry. Maybe they were human after all.


	27. Motel in the Woods

When Harry finally stopped the car, it was still dark outside and little snowflakes were dancing to the ground. It must have been close to morning by now. We had stopped in front of a small motel that looked as if no one ever visited it. Forest surrounded the unkept place and it looked as if it were right out of some mystery movie. The few outside lights lit up small patches of the lightly snow covered ground.

Harry and Liam got out and came around to Louis and I, opening up the doors and helping us out. Liam carried Louis again and made sure he was covered with his blanket while Harry picked me up. Then we trudged toward the motel entrance and went inside. Warm air greeted us as well as an old lady behind the counter. She looked up, startled.

"For heaven's sake! You scared the bajeepers out of me. I haven't had someone visit in three years! How are you Mr. Styles? I see prison didn't suit you. Oh my what have you got there?" She rambled on, standing from her stool and leaning over the counter to inspect Louis and I.

"Nothing we can't handle. I trust you haven't been compromised?" Harry spoke up, his deep voice changing somewhat to sound more in command.

"No, I'm perfectly capable of keeping my motel a secret. You're safe here." She waved her hand around proudly. "Here's the key to room 6, just like you always want."

He took it and nodded. "Come on let's go."

She watched me curiously as Harry turned away and led the way back outside. He followed the path beside the motel until we came to room 6. Unlocking it, he went inside with Liam following. It was a very spacious room with old decor and a grandma feel to it. There were four beds and Liam took Louis to the one closest to the door.

Harry carried me to the farthest one and set me down carefully. He took the hat off my head and then ran his fingers through my hair. I inched away, but he simply sat down beside me.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking away from his intense gaze.

He continued staring at me as he spoke quietly. "A safe place. I've got many. You don't have to worry here."

"Did you...did you kill him?" I asked, exhaustion slowly creeping up on me.

"Declan? I wish I did. He was nowhere to be seen when I found you. I found the place, decided to get in through the basement and found you. It was only me, so I decided to leave and send back men to destroy the place." He told me.

"Did they?" I murmured.

"They didn't catch him. He wasn't there." Harry shook his head in irritation. "But don't worry I'll protect you. I'll find him."

"You said he wouldn't catch anyone. I thought that meant you killed him." I said in disappointment.

"No... He's still out there." Harry admitted.

Shrugging away from his body, I tried to move myself away, but he clutched the sleeve of my sweatshirt. "Do you want a bath before you sleep?"

"I can't. It hurts too much." I avoided his gaze.

"Later then. How about we get you into more comfortable clothing?" He offered.

"This is fine." I said quickly and moved to lay down.

"I'll go get some more comfortable clothes." He decided and went to the bags Liam just brought in.

"Harry..." I whispered, frustrated. He just wouldn't listen.

He came right back with some new clothes. "I'll help you. Don't worry alright? I'm sure leggings would be very comfortable."

"Harry!" I squeaked when he reached for me, removing my slippers. "Don't take my clothes off."

I shut my mouth quickly in fear, thinking I might be hurt for resisting, but then I remembered I wasn't with Declan any longer. I didn't need to keep my mouth shut or obey without question, but it just felt instinctual now.

"You need to change." He argued, not noticing my silent moment. He was now kneeling on the bed beside me.

"Please don't." I pleaded, clutching my clothes in my fists.

"But-"

"Harry!" Louis called from his place on his bed. "Listen to her."

Surprised, I watched Harry turn and look at his friend as he released my clothing. The two had an unspoken conversation and when Harry looked back at me, he sighed. Swallowing hard, he started removing his coat and then t-shirt. When I opened my mouth to ask what he was doing, he cut me off.

"I'm getting ready for bed, alright? I'm not going to do anything to you." He said quickly.

Irritated with the stupid fear I felt, I laid on my side and closed my eyes. It wasn't long before he laid down next to me and got under the covers.

"There's another bed in the room." I pointed out softly, not wanting him in the bed with me.

"I'm sleeping here." He mumbled, lying on his stomach and squishing his cheek into the pillow.

"Why can't you sleep in the other bed? It's empty." I wanted to know. "I don't want you near me."

Huffing, Harry lifted his upper body and moved closer to me. He glared into the dark and growled, "That was always Niall's bed. He's dead. I'm not sleeping in that bed understand?"

Blinking, I nodded and dropped the subject. It continued to surprise me that they could actually care for someone other than themselves. Harry went back to his side and fell silent. I asked him to turn the lights back on, but he didn't listen. I hated the dark. That's all I ever saw at Declan's; darkness. And it was in the dark that the boys would always do their worst to me. But Harry didn't understand that.

Late in the night, Louis came over to our bed and nudged Harry awake. I hadn't slept a wink and apparently neither had Louis. Harry moaned and rolled over, seeing Louis standing their hugging himself as if he were in pain like I was.

"What's up, mate?" Harry whispered.

"I want to talk to you." Louis murmured sleepily.

Inhaling deeply, Harry got out of bed and helped Louis to the door where they both went outside. I could see their shadows on the window and I watched them stand there and talk for a while. It seemed Louis was having a hard time with something and Harry was trying to comfort him. After a while they both came back inside. Harry climbed in Louis' bed while Louis trudged over toward mine. He looked at me and then got onto the bed hesitantly.

"Can I sleep here?" He whispered awkwardly.

"Why?" I asked tiredly.

"I just...want to sleep with you. I feel better when I'm...near you. After everything. I don't know actually..." He shook his head in frustration and moved as though he would get off.

"How do you feel better?" I lifted my head.

Louis glanced around and then looked at me. It took a moment before he could speak. "I don't know. When we were in the cages...the only thing I could take comfort from was you. I just...still feel better when you're close."

Confused, but understanding at the same time, I settled down. "You can sleep here. Just don't...touch me."

He seemed incredibly vulnerable right now. I knew it could be detrimental to me if I crushed his hopes of comfort at a time like this. Who knew how he might lash out at me if I denied him. But at the same time, I sort of felt the same thing he did. I had been feeling safe with him for a month now, clinging to him because he was safer for me than Declan. Now that we were out, that feeling was still there. And it confused me. Carefully, Louis crawled into the bed and laid down facing me. He watched me for a moment with a serious expression.

"We're out of that place now, Scarlet." He murmured.

Closing my eyes and sighing, I remained unmoving. "Say it again."

"We're out of there." He repeated, shifting a little closer to me.

"No, not that. When you said my name." I looked at him with damp eyes.

"Scarlet." He whispered softly, moving so that he was as close to me as he could be without touching me.

Relief pouring through me, I tried to maintain my composure as I felt a weight being lifted. "It's just nice to be called by my name...rather than..."

"Slut?" Louis guessed and I flinched at the word. "Sorry..."

A few moments passed and the room started becoming a little lighter. Dawn was approaching and I was still exhausted. While Louis watched me, my eyes fell closed and I began drifting off to sleep again. I knew I was safe now, but that didn't stop my dreams from pretending that I wasn't.

Reality turned to dreamland and I found myself back in Harry's cabin at Camp Harmony. The boys were all working to hold me down on his bed while Harry climbed over my defenseless body. His inhumanity and heartless soul didn't stop him from immediately taking me right there while I screamed and begged for mercy.

"Scarlet!"

I snapped awake and realized it was only a dream. Sitting up abruptly, I closed my legs, still feeling the intrusion between them even though it had only been in my mind. Sweat covered my skin and then Louis and Harry were beside me, asking me what was wrong.

"What?" I asked, breathing hard as I looked up from my lap to their anxious faces.

"You screamed." Harry told me, feeling my forehead. "You're burning up, love."

I cringed away from his touch. My entire body was aching from the fabric touching my wounded skin. "I'm fine. Just get away from me."

"Bad dream?" Louis guessed, leaning against the headboard. Both of their shirtless torsos were blinding in the morning light.

"Just don't touch me." I begged, wanting to lay down again. I was still exhausted and hurting.

The pain I felt lying down again was almost unbearable, but I was too tired to worry about it. I collapsed and let tears fall from my eyes. Louis laid down next to me and brushed my black hair out of my face and behind my shoulder. Harry got off the bed and turned away. I thought a caught a frown on his face while he was watching Louis. He went back over to the bed by the door and spoke with Liam who was sitting up as well.

"I want to go home." I said to Louis.

"Not until Declan is dead. As long as he's alive, you're in danger." Louis whispered.

"I just...I want my family. I want my...I need them, Louis." My voice caught in my throat as I thought about Caspian.

"Soon. We just need to keep you safe and find him and kill him." He replied, moving close again and eyeing my mouth.

As he did that, flashbacks of camp and how he would never miss a chance to forcefully kiss me rushed into my mind and I moved away. I turned my face to the other side and clutched the bedsheets. What was this crippling fear that I felt? Why did I feel so paralyzed by it? I wasn't like this. This wasn't me.


	28. Despondency

Although I got plenty of rest throughout the night and morning even though it was interrupted, I still felt utterly exhausted the next afternoon when the boys finally decided to wake me up. They gave me food to eat and helped me shift around, since every small movement caused me pain. Harry was especially mindful of my comfort, which I knew was all simply an act. He didn't actually care.

Liam was caring for Louis who was back in his own bed lying there silently. And here I was now, lying on my side with the blankets up to my chin, munching on a bag of vanilla granola with Harry sitting with me. He kept asking questions about Declan's place so he could figure out how to find him. I refused to say anything at first, not wanting to relive the horrors which I'd endured, but he somehow convinced me that any information I could give him would aid in the location of Declan. But I had nothing useful to say except for the fact that Declan was a sick bàstard and I never wanted to be near him again.

"He only fed you once a day?" He asked angrily.

"Sometimes he would forget for several days. I didn't eat the first week at all." I told him quietly.

Harry pursed his lips, jaw clenching. "And you were cold all the time?"

"Every moment." I replied sullenly, trying not to relive the past month and a half.

"He had you naked the whole time?" He pressed, frustration clearly written in his features.

"No. Mostly naked. He only took the rest of my clothes when my bra broke from his whips..." I closed my eyes, eyebrows furrowing together in mental pain.

Harry ran a hand through his hair and sighed thoughtfully. "What about your period? You have to have had it while you were there."

Frowning, I tried to remember and then gave up sadly. "I must have had it. I guess...I didn't really notice. It must have just...blended in with the rest of the blood..."

We both fell silent for a moment as the terrible thought ran through our heads. I shook it away and fought back tears. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours. Leave me alone."

"Of...of course." Harry said hesitantly.

"I just want to forget." I murmured brokenly, turning my face away.

Harry didn't get up however. Instead, he leaned over me and tucked my hair out of my face. I cringed as his long fingers caressed my bangs, which were badly in need of a trim. My breathing increased as his face grew closer.

"I can protect you. If you stay with me, I will keep you safe." He told me seriously, but I wasn't listening.

"Harry...." I squeaked, watching his hand slide down my neck toward my chest.

He realized what he was doing and hesitated, staring at me with conflicting emotions in his eyes. I watched in fear as his dark side took over and his hand found its way to my breast. I turned my head, closing my eyes. There was nothing I could do. I was powerless...worthless. Why try to protect myself?

I knew he noticed my shaking, but that didn't stop him from ignoring it and kissing my bruised cheek, too close to my mouth. I whimpered and trembled, but didn't fight. My fight was gone. I was weak and helpless.

Harry's hand squeezed my breast, which hurt because it was already bruised. With no resistance from me, he immediately withdrew from touching me. I dared to peek and saw him frowning at me in disappointed confusion.

"What is wrong? Why aren't you defending yourself?" He asked me pointedly.

Avoiding all emotions from showing, I shook my head in defeat.

"Why are you cowering from me instead of fighting?" Harry pressed, his temper rising.

I simply laid there and didn't respond, making him more upset.

"Scarlet, answer me. Why aren't you fighting me?" Harry hissed urgently, bending closer so I'd have his full attention.

All the mental hurt and physical pain I was feeling suddenly pushed my emotions to the surface.

Harry glared at me, but I didn't see anger. I saw worry and confusion. "I know your body is weak and you can't move easily. But you would always try anyway! You would always fight me! Why are you just laying there?"

"I can't stop you. I can't win. I can't keep you off me...so why try to save myself? You will always beat me." I whispered in defeat, laying there limply.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry moved away abruptly.

I gave him a broken look and then moved my gaze elsewhere.

"Scarlet I..." Harry grabbed at his hair in frustration. "You're supposed to defend yourself. You're supposed to fight. That's what you've always done."

"And now I've given up. It's what you always wanted right? I know I can't win." I said.

"But... No. This isn't how it's supposed to be. You're supposed to fight and never give up. You're supposed to be strong!" Harry raised his voice.

"I can't." I said sadly.

"You have to be! Look, I know you're traumatized. You went through hell. You were treated worse than we've ever treated you and your mind is still there. But you don't have to believe that you're just a puppet to be played with whenever we want anymore. You're free of that place. You're not just a toy to be pushed around and abused!" Harry abruptly stopped and frowned at the wall, seeming to realize what he was saying.

I was shocked at his words, and it appeared he was as well. He suddenly got off the bed, awkwardly avoiding my gaze. He was breathing hard and he scratched the back of his neck.

"All I'm saying is...you're different. You were always brave and strong before, no matter what. Your strength inspired me to be better. That's the girl I fell in love with." He spoke sharply, instantly turning and hurrying from the room. The door slammed behind him while I was left confused.

•••

Harry believed that he loved me.

It was the first time he had boldly proclaimed it since that summer, but I knew his "love" wasn't really love. It was mostly peculiarly strong lust mixed with a sociopathic attraction toward me. It seemed he was "trying" to love me the right way, but he didn't know how so was constantly failing. Harry was simply too much of a selfish minded criminal. He couldn't love me the right way, no matter how hard I tried to show him how I love other people. He was too blinded by his own selfish desires. He didn't understand that, so he remained frustrated with me and himself.

As for his little speech to me, I knew he was right. I should be trying harder to fight for myself. But I was so tired. Everything I tried would always backfire in my face and result in worse things happening. And at Declan's, I was forced to learn not to resist, not to speak up, to take it like the slave I was. In that dark basement, I was a slave. And the things I learned were drilled into my brain so firmly that I continually found myself allowing Harry to get too close for comfort. But he was getting mad every time I just laid there. He kept scolding me about fighting for myself. He wanted me to be strong.

But I had already given up.

I'd never experienced something as horrific as what I went through at Declan's. That summer was horrid, yes. But this was worse. He was twice as evil as the boys. I had wounds all over my body that would turn into ugly scars. Would my skin ever be clear of the horrible white reminders? I guessed they would probably be a part of me for the rest of my life—just like the scars on my mind. The traumatic experience made me close in on myself and sink deep into hopelessness and depression. There was no one to pull me out of it.

I felt that Louis was going through the same thing, as he didn't speak much for a while after we were rescued. Each night in that little motel, he would sleep in bed with me. He wouldn't say anything, just lay on his side facing me and fall asleep. Every time he got a little closer until he began holding me in his sleep. I let him because I still felt a strange sort of safety with his presence.

I couldn't explain why I felt that way, considering all of the horrors he inflicted on me. But I let him hold me. And Harry was clearly quite jealous. But due to the deep friendship between he and Louis, he didn't make a big deal of it because he could see being near me was helping his friend.

Slowly each day, Louis and I regained our strength. We were fed as much food as we wanted and were made to exercise a few times a day. Since I was in worse shape, I needed help with simple things longer than Louis. Like showers for example. I couldn't stand by myself for the longest time and needed help moving. I'd lost so much weight, a lot of that being muscle.

During the first week there, Harry tried to make me take a bath, but I desperately didn't want to, because Harry would have to wash me. He only realized that I didn't want to when I started crying before he removed my clothes. Since I wasn't struggling, he didn't know how much I didn't want it until I was crying. He kept my clothes on thankfully. But I couldn't bathe for another week.

Now, a few weeks later, the wounds had healed up but not without scarring. Louis had quite a pattern of crisscrosses on his back, but my scars were all over the place. Not only were they on my back, but on my legs and arms and stomach. At least my face was clear of any scars, besides a small one on my left temple from when he slammed my head into the edge of my cage.

I could move by myself now and shower without help. All of us didn't converse very much. Everything just seemed so bleak. Louis and I had just been tortured, Louis wasn't the same, Harry was confused, Liam was always sullen and moody, and Niall was dead. I still heard Harry whimpering sometimes at night.

It was only at the beginning of the fourth week that Harry burst into the room, seeing all three of us lying on our beds silently. He marched around for a moment, crossing his arms.

"All of us need to snap out of it. We're all sitting here moping around all depressed like and getting nothing done. And we're all miserable! Now get off your bums and lets try to find Declan. Scarlet, you will stay here and clean the room." Harry announced loudly in his thick British accent.

"Clean?" I repeated distastefully.

"Just tidy things up. Nothing too strenuous since you're still recovering. We're all slobs." Harry gestured around the disastrous room.

"You're leaving me by myself?" I asked worriedly.

"You'll have company. The motel lady's daughter is here. I'll have her stay with you until we come back. I trust you won't runaway this time?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Obviously, I won't go out there again. But what if something happens while you're gone?" I wanted to know, becoming worried.

"What? Do you want me to stay with you? You don't want to be parted from me?" He inquired knowingly.

Annoyed, I discreetly rolled my eyes. "No. I just don't want him to find me when you're gone."

"So..." Harry took a step closer. "You trust that I can and will protect you then?"

Flustered, I glared and turned away. "Just...can't you leave someone here with me?"

"Three heads are better than two. We need to do this...I'm sure you can understand that. We'll be back by sunset." Harry told me, stepping up closer to me.

When he leaned his head in too close to be comfortable, I moved to block him with my hands. He snatched my wrists and pulled me forward so my chest bumped into his strong one. Then he grabbed the sides of my face and quickly planted a heavy kiss against my lips before I had the chance to stop him. When he released me, I stepped back and wiped my mouth off angrily.

"Just get out. Leave me alone!" I hissed, fighting back panic. 

"Just be a good girl while we're gone. We won't be long, I promise. You'll be perfectly fine." Harry promised and shooed Louis and Liam toward the door.

"Should I stay with her?" Louis questioned when Harry opened the door.

"I need you." Harry responded, suddenly seeing a girl standing outside the door with her hand in the air as if she were about to knock. "Ah here she is."

When the girl saw Harry, her face showed awe and her mouth parted slightly.

"Scarlet, this is Destiny." Harry gestured to her.

"It's Layla." She responded, seeming disappointed he got her name wrong.

"Same thing. Anyway, she's going to make sure you don't cause trouble while we're gone and keep you company so you won't be alone." Harry told me, allowing Layla to enter the room.

"What?" Layla spoke up, clearly having heard this for the first time.

I didn't say anything...I just wondered what her relation to them was. She walked in and looked at each of them shyly.

"She's the motel woman's daughter. Anyway, we will see you soon. We will find something on Declan while we're gone, I'm sure of it." Harry promised, watching me as he backed out the door.

When he closed the door, I glanced at Layla. I didn't trust her. She looked at me with a frown and then back at the door. There was an awkward silence for a minute.

"So..." She began, taking a seat on Liam's bed. "You're one of their girls aren't you?"

"No, I'm not." I replied flatly and turned away.

"Well, hate to break it to you, but you are. You wouldn't be here if you weren't." Layla said to me.

"I don't belong to them. I'm just here because it's safer than out there at the moment." I told her, sitting in an armchair.

"Hm. Whatever you say honey. I've known them a long time. All the girls they've brought here belonged to them. You just seem to be more rebellious than the others." She noticed.

Taking a brief second to study her, I saw how pretty she really was. She had wavy red hair and freckles covering her face. She had a nice body and I wondered if the boys had ever used her.

"What about you? Do you belong to them?" I asked.

"Unfortunately no. I've always wanted at least a chance to prove myself to one of them...preferably Harry. But my idiotic mother made them promise not to touch me if she was going to run their secret little motel. Ugh." Layla rolled her eyes as if it were the worst thing in the world not to be wanted by the boys.

"You do realize they ràpe girls don't you?" I questioned.

"Well...yes. But it wouldn't be like that with me. I actually want them. Those other girls are completely stupid for denying those angels." Layla looked off into the distance wistfully.

Feeling anger rise, I stood up. "Well one of those 'completely stupid' girls is me. Trust me when I say you're lucky not to have their attention. They're sociopaths who care for nothing but themselves."

She gave me an "are-you-for-real" look. "Sweetie, you must be blind. They're hot. You're foolish for not wanting them."

Frustrated, I couldn't believe this little brat. "Why don't you leave? I don't want you here."

"Too bad. Harry told me to make sure you behave. That's what I'm gonna do. Now sit down and shush." She said grumpily.

"How could you be attracted to someone like Harry? He's sick! Perfectly wicked. He's ràped me countless times. He's heartless." I exclaimed, angry at her.

"Oh please. I'm sure you secretly enjoyed it. The only reason I could think of as to why you're so disgusted with those hotties is that you must be lesbian." She rolled her eyes, crossing her legs.

Speechless, I huffed and walked across the room to the bathroom. "Leave."

"No denial? I'm right then aren't I?" She called out smugly.

"When I come out I want you to be gone." I gritted my teeth, about to shut the bathroom door to be alone.

"Come out of what? The closet? Girl just admit-"

I slammed the door, feeling tears spring to my eyes. I felt so alone at that moment. I didn't miss the boys, but I knew I had a better chance at staying alive if they were around. And now there was a hateful girl sitting outside who was jealous of my position and probably wouldn't leave until the boys came back.

I sat on the edge of the tub and started to cry.


	29. When He Crossed the Line

After gaining control of my emotions, I remained in the bathroom for a very long time. I didn't want to see Layla or listen to her anymore. I only wanted to see Caspian. My heart physically hurt with how much I was longing for him—my little angel.

With hours having past, I couldn't stay shut up in the bathroom any longer and I wanted to sleep on the bed. So I opened the door and went out. Not surprisingly, Layla was still there. She looked up from her phone and gave me a mischievous look. Setting her phone down, she stood up slowly.

"So...you're sure you're not into girls?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now can you drop it? Just leave me alone." I responded, eyeing her phone.

Shadows flickered across the room with the setting sun outside and I hated myself for wishing the boys would come back soon.

"How much did you really hate having sex with them?" She asked.

She was deliberately trying to hurt me and I didn't know why. "Please, don't talk about it."

"I'm sorry if I'm being insensitive. I know it must've been traumatic for you. But I'm honestly curious as to how you could despise them so much? They're beautiful." Layla went on.

"Physical beauty isn't everything you know. If they were old sleazy men with missing teeth and bad breath would you be jealous of their obsession with me? Hm?" I shot back.

"But they're not."

Frustrated, I shook my head and went to my bed. "Please, just stop. I can't handle it."

She paused for a minute while I got onto the bed and laid on my side. I heard her moving and the next thing I knew she was standing by my bed.

"I can make you admit you like girls. They won't want you anymore if you do." She spoke up.

"Layla! Stop. Please. You don't know what I've been through." I whimpered, curling my arms to my chest.

I was wearing long sleeves and leggings to hide my scars. She didn't know about all that. She knew nothing.

The bed dipped under her weight and she crawled over to me, putting one arm over my body and looking down at me. She saw my tears before I had a chance to wipe them away.

"Shh. Lovely. Just admit you like girls and they'll leave you alone." She suggested.

"But I don't. And it wouldn't change what they think of me anyway. Just go away." I begged.

She leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Bet I could change your mind."

She suddenly kissed my cheek and I was jolted with surprise. I jerked upward and shoved her away. "What the fûck are you doing bîtch? Get away from me!"

She rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease. I can see it in your eyes. You just don't want to say it out loud. But you are definitely-"

Suddenly the door opened and I whipped my head over to see Harry walk in, followed by Liam and Louis. I got off the bed and walked over to them, crossing my arms over my chest. Harry immediately saw that I was crying and he dropped his backpack on the floor. I didn't want to touch him, but I desperately wanted someone's arms around me. So I stood there and evaded him when he tried to embrace me.

"Scarlet, what's wrong?" He asked.

Louis came over and peered around Harry while Liam came around to his other side. I evened my breathing and shrugged helplessly.

"You left me with a psycho bîtch." I gritted my teeth and glared at Layla.

"She's the one who asked me to fûck her. Come on, guys. Don't believe that wimpy whôre." Layla spat out, placing her hands on her hips.

Mouth parting in disbelief, I looked to Harry as I tried not to cry more. "She's been nothing but cruel with her words and then she tried to kiss me. Just make her leave."

Harry's face contorted into a frightening glare as he turned his dark gaze to Layla. He opened his mouth to say something probably horrible, but Louis marched past him and suddenly grabbed a handful of her hair in his fist.

She cried out when he yanked it back and hissed angrily, "You worthless slût. Get out before I beat your ugly ass senseless!"

Shocked, I winced when Louis shoved her toward the door and she stumbled and fell. I saw Liam move as if to kick her, but I clutched his arm.

"Don't..." I asked and he stopped.

Harry came to me and pulled me into him while all three of the guys scowled at Layla. I tried to shrug away from him, but he held me firmly.

"We won't hurt you because of our agreement with your mother. But if we hadn't made that agreement, we would have hurt you...severely. And you would have never been the same. Now leave and don't come back." Harry ordered smoothly.

She had a frightened look on her face as she nodded and hurried out the door. I didn't want it to end like this. Sure she was cruel to me, but she didn't deserve what they threatened her with. I shouldn't have tattled on her like an idiot. I tried to move away from Harry but he continued to hold me.

"Please, let go." I asked quietly, trying to push away.

"Let me comfort you." He commanded, holding me still.

Whimpering, I gave up and rested my head against his chest. I was tired. I didn't have the strength needed to get Harry off me.

"You can't comfort me. I want my...I want my family. I need them, Harry. I need to know they're alright." I spoke softly, wondering if Declan could ever discover who I was and who was close to me. The thought had been troubling me for some time now but they wouldn't let me speak to my family.

"Come to bed." He said.

"No." I shook my head, brushing my thick hair out of my face. "Let me speak to my family."

"It's time for bed. Don't make me force you." Harry insisted.

"I want to see them! I want to see Zayn! I love Zayn! Why can't you be human and realize that I am a person and I need people in my life who care about me? I can't stand you! I hate you! I hate you all! You're selfish and don't care for anything but yourselves. Let me go!" I burst out, raising my voice so I was shouting by now and struggling violently in Harry's arms, trying to get away.

"Louis! Now's a good time!" Harry called out, fighting me and trying to capture my flailing arms.

I didn't know what he meant, but I continued struggling and squirming uselessly until he managed to push me down onto the bed. His body pinned me down and I struggled under him with what little strength I had while he attempted to keep me still. I was crying and shouting out things and struggling until I saw Liam helping Harry hold me still. Louis appeared as well with something behind his back and I panicked.

"What are you doing?! Let me go! Louis? Don't hurt me! Stop!" I screamed.

"Hurry up, she's hyperventilating!" Harry ordered, holding my arm still.

I only saw a long needle headed for my arm before the world turned black and I passed out.

•••

Hands were touching me, feeling me all over in my dreams. Nothing I did could make them stop. My voice was gone, my strength was gone, and my will was gone. But suddenly something in my mind snapped me out of the dreams that were taunting me and I jolted awake.

I realized I was in the car again and hands were actually touching me, but not in a sexual way. The boys were trying to get me out of the car. I groaned and looked around, but it was night and I couldn't see anything. Harry's face came close to mine as he pulled me out of my seat and into his arms while I frowned into the blackness.

"What's going on? Where are we?" I murmured softly.

"She's awake. Love, you weren't supposed to wake up yet." Harry sighed.

I felt weak, like all my strength was gone. What on earth happened? I didn't know where we were and it scared me. I couldn't see anything.

"We had to leave the motel. Don't worry I've brought you to a new safe place. No one will find us here." Harry told me gently, waiting for Louis and Liam to get the bags.

I rested my head on his chest because it took too much energy to hold it up. The air was frigid and I was freezing, shivering uncontrollably. It took a few moments to remember the last thing that happened. And then I recalled the needle and that's all I needed. I struggled in Harry's arms and whimpered.

"You put something in me! There was a needle! What did you do?" I demanded, squirming while he easily held onto me.

"I needed you to quietly go with us without a fuss. That was the easiest way." He explained simply, beginning to walk away from the car.

"So you drugged me!? Don't ever drug me again. Where are we?" I growled, my speech slightly slurred because of my drowsiness.

"Some place safe. Just try to go back to sleep. It's two in the morning." He told me, continuing to walk along.

I stared into the dark, nervous and hating the fact that I had no power whatsoever over myself. The boys didn't turn flashlights on or anything so I had a hard time picking out my surroundings. I spotted a tree as we passed and then noticed there was a clear crisp pine scent to the air. How many mysterious motels did he have in the woods anyway?

When we passed another giant tree with a very thick trunk, I stiffened, recognizing it. I tensed in Harry's arms and he held onto me tighter, silently. I turned my gaze ahead and squinted into the blackness. Now I recognized the strong pine scent of the air, the sound of the wind in the treetops, the quick snap of twigs under the boys' shoes, and most unmistakably...the silhouette of a cabin against the night sky. I knew where I was. My stomach lurched.

Harry was carrying me toward the two isolation cabins in the middle of Camp Harmony.

"Harry!" I shrieked, jolting my body so violently that he dropped me onto the ground.

I scrambled to my feet desperately, even though my muscles were weak at the moment. Adrenaline helped me stand and stare at the cabin before us. The horrors that had happened to me in that small room rushed back to me like a tidal wave and I turned to stare at the boys in disbelief. My body was shaking like a leaf.

"How could you bring me here?" I shouted.

Harry approached me, sighing deeply. "It's safe. No one comes here."

"Don't touch me! How could you? Take me back!" I yelled, stumbling in the opposite direction of the cabin where Louis and Harry had both viciously taken me at once.

I hit Harry when he came up to me and passed by him only to come face to face with Louis. I couldn't see his expression in the dark, but I knew he was reaching for me. Evading his arms, I staggered around him, desperately wishing for my strength to return. The idiots had to freaking drug me!

"Scarlet, there's nowhere for you to go. I have the keys. You can't just walk away. You'll freeze to death." Liam spoke up.

"I don't care! Take me home! Take me somewhere, anywhere, that isn't here! I can't believe you brought me here!" I shouted angrily.

"Okay that's enough. Come inside." Harry said, following after me when I tried to run.

He easily caught me in my drugged state and began to drag me toward the cabin. Louis and Liam followed silently.

"No! You can't take me back in there! You can't! I won't go!" I kept shouting and struggling in his strong arms, but he wouldn't listen.

Terror filled me as we reached the bottom steps and Harry started pulling me up them. I fought and began shaking more in fear and desperation. I couldn't go back into that cabin. The events that had transpired inside had been too traumatic for me to handle. I couldn't be forced to face the place of that violation, humiliation, and pain again.

"Stop struggling!" Harry hissed, waiting for Louis to break the lock on the door.

"Don't make me go in there! Please! Anywhere but here! I can't do it! Please Harry!" I begged frantically, fighting to run away.

"Maybe we ought to try the other cabin? This is the one we punished her in, after all." I heard Louis suggest.

It must have been Harry's pride that made him disagree with him. "We're going in this one and that's final."

Louis opened the door and went in with Liam following. I clawed at Harry's chest, begging for him not to force me inside, but he shoved me forward so I collapsed onto the wooden planks of the cabin's one room. I laid there, breathing hard, unable to believe that I was here again. I refused to look at the bed where the horrors transpired.

I choked on a sob, covering my face with my hands and huddling there in defeat. I heard their footsteps moving around for a time and their bags being opened.

"She'll sleep here with me." Harry said, over in the direction of the bed where it all happened.

I stiffened in fear.

"No, I think she'd prefer this one. That's the one where we fûcked her, remember?" Louis spoke up.

"Yeah, Harry. I think this one's better. She's already shaken up from being here. Might as well not make it worse." Liam agreed with Louis and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I felt hands touch me and a flinched. The hands hesitated.

"Come on, darling. You can sleep with me." Louis whispered, helping me up.

I kept my gaze down as he helped me stand and then guided me over to the bed in the far left corner. But I shrugged away from him, shaking my head.

"I don't want to sleep with you." I whispered softly.

"What?" Louis asked.

Frowning, I crossed my arms and my lip trembled. "You ràped me in here."

Moving away from me as if he were hurt, he knew I was right and so he didn't respond. He simply frowned and left me by myself. Louis wandered over to Harry's bed and quickly got under the covers with him, facing away from me.

Liam was watching me from his own bed closest to the door for a while before he laid down. "Go to sleep Scarlet."

"I can't sleep in here." I said sadly, sitting on the bed by myself and staring at Harry and Louis.

Over three years ago, I had been on that bed too. But I had been between them and unwilling while they both fûcked me at once. I knew there was no way on earth that I would be sleeping tonight.


	30. Cabin Fever

When the electrifying feeling of hands touching my body jerked me from sleep, I immediately realized where I was and sat bolt upright. Seeing Harry, the first thing to meet my gaze after waking, I instantly confused him with the cruel monstrous Harry who had tormented me in my dreams in this very cabin. I jumped toward the wall and prepared for his assault with tensed muscles, but quickly realized he wasn't planning to hurt me. He grimaced at my reaction and dropped his hand to the mattress.

"I was only waking you. We've got breakfast." He mumbled, standing up again. "How are you feeling?"

"I hate you." I whispered, loathing the early morning sun dully brightening the all too familiar isolation cabin through the cloud cover outside.

Swallowing, Harry shook his head and walked across the creaky floorboards to sit on the bed. Louis was slouching on the floor with a glum expression while Liam looked up from the portable hot plate he was currently using to make pancakes. He sent me a small frown and I wanted to slug him. They thought I was being ridiculous. How the hell would anyone react if they were forced to return to the place of their greatest torment? This place gave me PTSD. I have never been the same girl I was before the day Harry stole my virginity. I wasn't about to skip right back into this summer camp with a song on my lips and a sparkle in my eye.

Liam picked up a plate from the floor where he was cooking and brought it over to me. I hadn't eaten in too long, but I wasn't hungry. Plus, this place made me sick and so the smell of the food made me feel like vomiting. I took the plate carefully. Liam looked relieved that I actually took it, but that relief was short lived when I hurled the plate across the room, narrowly missing Louis.

"Bloody hell, Scarlet!" Liam whined frustratedly, throwing his hands up. "I worked hard on that dish! I've a mind to make you go over there and eat it off the floor."

"Go eat shît Liam. Leave me alone." I said in a monotone. I was emotionally exhausted.

Harry glanced at me in interest.

Liam cursed under his breath and was clearly struggling to refrain from hitting me. At the corner of my eye, I saw him gesture to Harry.

"Scarlet. You have to eat. So when Liam gives you another plate, I expect you to eat it." Harry instructed annoyingly.

I didn't respond, only hugged myself tighter and leaned my head against the wall. Outside the whether looked as if it would rain. I'd never been here in the winter, so it was strange feeling so cold. A part of me was stunned that this camp was still functional. I expected it to be shut down and torn down after the world discovered what had been transpiring inside of it each year right under everyone's noses. What parent would even send their kid here now?

After Liam had spent fifteen more minutes making more breakfast, he stood up and came over to me. He sat down and glared at me while clutching the plate.

"Since you've decided to be a brat, I'm going to feed you myself and you're going to eat it." He said firmly.

"I'm really not hungry." I told him seriously.

Pursing his lips, Liam stabbed the pancakes. "It's either this, or my dîck. What'll it be?"

"The next dîck that goes in my mouth will be bitten off, understand?" I snapped, and turned away.

Frustrated, he huffed. "Well...just eat the damn food, Scarlet. You need strength."

"Like you care." I mumbled, taking comfort in the reliable solidness of the wall.

Liam suddenly grabbed my jaw and jerked my face around, ready to stuff a fork full of pancake into my mouth. At the sight of it I could feel my stomach turn and I immediately wriggled out of his grip. That food was not going into my mouth.

"You annoying little bîtch, just eat it! Harry!" Liam complained, grabbing my  
jaw again roughly.

I kept squirming and avoiding the fork, feeling more and more queasy. With Liam being so physical and rough with me, it only reminded me of the past and how violent they were with me. I became more afraid and anxious and felt an overwhelming sickness wash over my body. When the food finally touched my lips, I couldn't handle it.

Everything added up. My helpless position. The longing I felt for my family. Harry's constant presence. The fact that I was being held in Camp Harmony against my will with no way to leave and no assurance that I would leave here unscathed.

My stomach lurched and felt the vomit rising up my throat. My last minute decision to puke on Liam was probably the best idea I'd had in months. My vomit exploded all over him and when I covered my mouth in misery, Liam stared in frozen shock at his soiled clothing. There were splatters on his face as well. I could see the disbelief written in his eyes.

After a short dead silence, Liam shrieked in horror and the other two boys tried and failed to hide their laughter.

"I feel sick." I whispered.

Liam got off the bed and stared down at himself in disgust. "It's everywhere! Scarlet. I swear I'm going to..."

Harry gave him a look and he stopped talking.

Scowling at me angrily, Liam grumbled. "I miss the days when I could just fûck you senseless for misbehaving."

"Liam." Harry warned.

"Everything's wrong, Harry. What even are we doing? Scarlet's got you wrapped around her finger! It doesn't matter what she does. You're going to let her get away with it! She could run away again or punch you in the face and you'd simply yell at her and be done with it! Why won't you just yank her hair and fûck her like she deserves!" Liam bellowed, resulting in another dead silence.

His sharp jaw tensing, Harry gave Liam a piercing stare. "Do you have a problem with the way I'm running things Liam?"

I was almost disappointed that he hadn't defended me, but my stomach was feeling as though a hurricane, a tornado, and an earthquake were all happening inside it at once. I couldn't help but lie down on the bed and clutch my middle.

Liam crossed his arms and huffed. "Course not. All I'm saying is...you're letting her control you. You've got to remember who you are and be the leader you are. You don't take orders from anyone but you."

I could hear Harry sigh, but then he stood up abruptly. "She's lying down. Are you alright? Scarlet? Is something wrong?"

I closed my eyes, the pain in my stomach becoming worse. "I feel sick."

"Dammit. Did anyone grab the medicine bag?" Harry asked, touching my forehead and then quickly removing his hand. "Shît, she's burning up. She's ill, mates."

They all seemed at a loss as to what to do. Here we were, in the middle of a damn forest where there was no cell service, without medicine, and to top things off, Liam was trying to convince Harry to start abusing me again. Another stomach pang caused me to moan and I curled into a ball.

"She must have the flu or something." Louis suggested. "She got it a few times while we were prisoners."

"Her immune system is low. She's stressed and scared and we haven't been feeding her well. Dammit." Harry muttered, brushing his fingers through my hair to keep it out of my face.

I cringed at his touch and weakly rolled onto my back. "Don't...touch me."

"What should we do?" Liam wanted to know, vomit still splattered all over him.

Louis spoke up quickly. "Well you should exit the building and wash yourself with sandpaper because you smell like garbage."

"Asswipe." Liam grumbled and walked to the door.

I saw Harry turn and look fondly at Louis briefly. When he caught me watching him, he shook his head. "I thought Louis would never be the same...but fortunately I was wrong."

Breathing heavily, I glanced at Louis who was staring at me with no expression. I didn't think what Harry said was completely true. Sure, his personality traits would return, but I dared to hope that Louis would never be the same. I needed him to have been so broken by Declan, that he would never treat me like he used to again because he now knew how it felt.

"Now, love. What are you feeling? How can I help?" Harry asked me, changing the subject.

"My stomach hurts. I feel sick everywhere. I'm weak...and cold. Just...I don't know what to do. I'm so miserable." I whimpered helplessly.

"How can I help you? What do you need?" He pressed.

"My family. I want to see them. Please." I murmured. "My mom can take care of me. I want her to help me."

"Scarlet..." Harry sighed deeply, scratching his head.

I knew he wouldn't listen to me, but it was worth a try. All I wanted in that moment was to be in bed at my parent's house where my mom could tend to my illness with her homemade remedies and healing potions and I'd be well looked after. I didn't want to be here with the three people I hated most in the world who were such idiots that they didn't know what to do with a sick person. I turned to the wall and wallowed in self pity for a while as the boys tried to figure out what to do. I was completely miserable.

"Scarlet, you're burning up. So we need to cool you off." Harry spoke up.

"But I'm cold." I responded, trembling. I knew my body was actually hot, but I felt cold.

"You just have chills. I know that's something that happens when you're sick. We're gonna have to remove some of your clothes alright?" Harry said.

I tensed, turning in fear at both of them. "Please, don't. That's not what you're supposed to do. Don't do that to me."

"It's for your health, not our pleasure." Harry said, but I was trying to decide if he was attempting to convince me or himself.

"Don't touch me." I stammered.

Harry ignored me and they both came over to my bed, hesitating. I struggled to sit up, but the movements only made my head swim and wooziness to rush through my body. I lay down and stared at them pleadingly.

"Please." I begged.

Harry pretended he didn't hear and then reached down while Louis did the same. I squirmed and whimpered, but my weak muscles made it too easy for them to remove my sweatshirt and long sleeve shirt. I was left in my bra and I rolled to my side to hide my chest from them.

"Don't be like that. I've already seen you naked countless times." Harry muttered.

Then they pulled down my leggings and I pleaded again, but they didn't listen. Only in my underwear now, I turned away from their shameless stares and curled into a little ball of agony. When they went silent, I knew they must be looking at the marks all over my body. My skin felt hot, my stomach was turning, and my muscles were achy. All I wanted was to be gone from this place. The sheer anxiety I had felt all throughout the night had unmistakably been the cause of my sudden illness.

"I want my mom!" I groaned into the blankets, sounding like a whiny little brat but not caring in the least. I missed her.

"Shh." Harry cooed, rubbing my bare back.

I jerked away from his hand and huddled by the wall. I didn't know how I was going to survive. Every time Harry tried to comfort me by touching me gently, I squirmed away, the contact of his skin on mine feeling like ice. Louis tried too, but I just couldn't handle him touching me right now either with all of the terrible memories swirling through my mind. I was just thankful that none of them had sexually assaulted me so far this time. I hoped that things would stay that way, but with the way Harry had been looking at me recently, I wasn't sure how much longer he'd be strong enough to refrain...


	31. Calm

When you're as sick as I became, you start to hallucinate. Everything I was experiencing—fear, anxiety, hate, desperation, agony, depression—all of it helped to make my brain scramble into a mess. The boys had trouble controlling me, I recalled. I was thrashing about in my bed, crying out random things and the boys were having a heck of a time trying to calm me. I wouldn't be calmed.

At that point I wasn't fully aware of myself and so half the time I thought I was dreaming. I thought it was simply an awful dream where I was being held hostage in Camp Harmony and the boys wouldn't let me go. I was so miserable that I kept calling for my mom, for my dad, for Zayn. In my subconscious state, I somehow knew not to say Caspian's name out loud. I only longed for him in my mind and wondered how much he'd grown in the few months we had been apart.

Only Harry and Louis would appear by my side, touching my forehead with worry written across their features. Liam was slumped on his bed, glaring in my direction. At some point I became so hot, I begged to go outside and tried to fall off my bed when I couldn't sit up. They had to physically restrain me to keep me from hurting myself because I couldn't control my own body.

I must've been like that for a couple days, but I wasn't entirely sure. When I woke up one day, I was discombobulated and had a headache. Rolling to the side, I saw Harry and Louis sleeping in their bed while Liam was curled in a ball in his own bed. It felt like it was the middle of the day so I wasn't sure why they were sleeping. Daylight greeted me through the big windows and I felt the need to wash myself. I felt disgusting.

Throwing back the covers, I noticed I was still in my underwear and gave Harry a mean scowl. The sudden movement sent a throbbing ache to my head and I moaned quietly, not wanting to wake them. I slowly got up from the bed, realizing how thirsty I was. I searched around for my clothes, seeing them in a pile near Liam's bed.

Pulling them on, and looking around the room for a towel, I didn't see one so I decided to use a blanket. Hoping they wouldn't wake up while I was gone, I tiptoed to the door. Suddenly thinking about the car, I wondered where the keys were and scanned the room quickly. To my disappointment, I found them attached to Liam's wrist.

Sighing, I went to the door and quietly opened it. No one stirred so I excitedly exited the stuffy cabin and went outside. I prayed they would stay asleep so I could shower in peace. The brisk cold smacked me in the face and I froze for a second, wincing in the chilly air. But I hastily scurried down the steps to the path leading away from the cabin.

Hurrying as fast as my swimming head would allow, I grimaced while I walked in the cold. The pine needles crunched under my feet and the wind whistled through the treetops. I knew this place like the back of my hand, but I didn't want to be here. I pretended that it didn't affect me as much as it really did. I just wanted to relax for a while and not be paralyzed by fear and anxiety.

Despite the horrors that had taken place here, it was genuinely a beautiful area. The forest was green and full. With the rainfall this winter, everything was even greener than in the summer. It smelled of fresh pine trees and the beginnings of a rain shower.

Pretty soon I approached the bathroom building and went into the women's side. It was cold and drafty and I wondered how I was going to take my clothes off in this temperature. But I wanted to be clean, so I toughed it out. Approaching the shower stalls in the back, I chose the farthest one which was the biggest, and went in. I turned the water on and it took nearly five minutes for it to turn warm.

Then I took my clothes off, suddenly anxious that the boys would find me. Taking a deep breath, I told myself to remain calm and empty my mind. I stepped under the water and felt goosebumps cover my skin. The warmth of the water was completely relaxing and I hummed in relief. In that moment I felt my muscles loosen and my mind stop racing.

I was finally relaxed.

I let the water pour down my face and trickle down my skin to my toes, pretending that it was healing the scars and making my body new. Someday the scars would be gone...hopefully. I just had to not let them make me who I am. Perhaps, I could pretend that they've made me stronger.

I stood like that for a long time, running my hands around my skin, to wash off the dirt and grime that had accumulated since my last shower. Not having soap or anything, I simply ran my fingers through my long hair to wash it clean.

I used this rare time apart from the boys to refocus my mind. They were always present, always close by, always in my face. I could barely breathe with how stifling they were being. So I took long deep breaths, closed my eyes, and attempted to push out all negative thoughts. I was alone. I was safe. I was clean.

The sound of shoes scuffing the cement floor met my ears and I tensed.

"Scarlet! Are you in here? Answer me!" Harry bellowed, his boots clopping against the floor.

He obviously must have heard the shower running and hurried over to my stall while I scrambled for the blanket. He attempted to open the door and it rattled roughly.

"Open the door this instant! We were worried sick! Don't ever leave like that again. Open the door!" He demanded angrily.

Finally managing to wrap the blanket around my wet body, I shivered. "Go away and let me shower peace!"

"You left without saying anything! Open this door or I'll-"

"Leave me alone! I don't want you here!" I begged, standing to the side so I wouldn't get wet since the water was still running.

Suddenly the door burst open and I saw Harry's leg return to the floor. He stepped in and saw me. Stepping over to me, he glared and pointed a finger at me while he place his other hand by my head.

"You are not allowed to wander off. Louis and Liam are now out searching for your bratty ass and we all thought you ran away." He huffed in irritation.

"I'm sick, and weak, and cold. How could I possibly run away in the winter and survive with nothing but my clothes?" I returned, feeling a bit of fear shoot up my spine.

"You're you. I wouldn't put it passed you." He replied seriously, but wasn't amused.

Not liking the way his eyes kept dropping to my body hidden by the blanket, I pushed him away. "Please leave so I can put my clothes back on."

"No." He said firmly.

Not surprised, but disappointed, I squirmed out from between him and the wall. "Of course you'd say that. You're not trying to be better. You just can't help yourself when it comes to my body, isn't that right?"

"Obviously. But I am trying to be better. It's just hard when you're wrapped in nothing but a blanket that I could easily rip away from you. I just want to look, alright?" Harry tugged at the top of the blanket covering me.

"No! Don't, Harry please. Let me keep what dignity I have left. Don't humiliate me...please." I whispered, clutching the fabric in a death grip.

I was beginning to regret taking a shower.

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "You're so stubborn and private. I've seen you before. I want to see again."

"A few days ago I was vomiting and crying and dying! And now because I seem a little better, you want to violate me. Why can't you keep your sick ràpist hands to yourself and go look at a newspaper!" I snapped.

Harry's hand retreated. He looked at me and frowned. "I suppose you're right."

Surprised, I adjusted the blanket nervously. "So...can I dress in peace?"

Harry sighed and tugged at his hair while watching the shower continue to spout out water. "Yes... I should let you. I really shouldn't make you stand there naked for me. I'd lose it, I know I would."

Clenching my legs together, I gulped. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I know the moment I make you do something like take off your clothes, I'll cave in and make you do more. And if I fûck you once, I know I won't be able to stop after that." Harry admitted seriously, backing toward the stall door.

"Well gee. Thanks for comforting me." I said sarcastically.

"You should thank me for not fûcking you raw. There's nothing I want to do more right now." He huffed, and opened the door again, stepping out.

Just as as he swung the door closed to a slit and looked at me, I glanced at the ground and murmured, "Thank you, Harry."

He tilted his head curiously and nodded. "Course."

Then he left me alone and his footsteps wandered out of the building. I could hear him calling for the other boys to let them know he'd found me. I quickly dried off and pulled on my clothes in case he or the other two came back. I turned off the water and left the stall hastily. I was rather stunned Harry had let me off so easily. When I stepped back outside, I saw him leaning against the doorway, looking out into the forest.

"Come on, love. Let's go back to the cabin." He told me, gesturing for me to go with him.

With a sinking heart, I reluctantly followed him back the way I'd come. "Can't I have some time by myself? I don't want to be cooped up in there with you anymore."

He glanced at me. "You can't go wandering over by the main buildings. What if someone was over there checking them out? The place isn't always completely empty."

"Really?" I asked, stopping abruptly.

Harry swiftly gripped my arm. "Don't even think about it. I'd kill you."

"No, you wouldn't." I returned, looking back behind us.

"Then I'd certainly punish you in a way you wouldn't like." He snapped and jerked me forward so I'd keep walking with him.

"I hate you." I muttered.

"Sure. Hate the guy who saved your life. You would still be in that hellhole being tortured to death if it wasn't for me." He grumbled.

Frowning, I knew he was right. But everything he'd done before that made me hate him still.

"Thank you for saving my life." I told him finally.

He stopped me, looking into my eyes. "I would do it any day for you."

Sighing and pulling away, I shook my head. "And yet you'll still ràpe me when you have the chance."

He caught up and yanked me back to look at him. "You little brat. Tell me, have I fûcked you since we kidnapped you a few months ago? Have I?"

Trying and failing to pull away I mumbled. "No..."

"None of us have. So quit whining about it and reminding me of the days when I used to do it all the time. It makes me miss those days." Harry told me.

Swallowing hard, I nodded. After a moment of silence and the only sound being the pine needles crunching under our feet, I asked. "Why would they keep this camp open?"

Harry shrugged. "The old people were fired. It was closed for a while, but someone else bought it and renamed it. It's still a camp. It's not really used in December much though."

I shook my head in disbelief, not understanding who would want to come here after learning what happened to me. But I guessed the camp kept a much closer watch on all of the kids now. They really neglected me that summer. They wouldn't be letting any over aged kids in either.

"Scarlet!" Liam sang from behind us.

Tensing, I turned and saw Louis and Liam hurrying toward us. When they caught up, Liam gave me an annoyed glare while Louis came over and wrapped his arms around me tightly—way too tightly. I struggled out of his hold, but didn't feel violated. It confused me how Louis could completely terrify me one moment and make me feel safer the next. I hated it.

"Don't runaway, love." Louis whispered.

I looked at him sadly. "If I have a chance to run away and be safe for good, I'll take it."

He stepped back and swallowed as if hurt before walking ahead of the rest of us. There was the cabin in front of us now and Harry gripped my arm as he led me up the stairs. After Liam passed us and went in after Louis, Harry stopped me and turned me toward him. 

He scowled. "If you hurt Louis, I will hurt you."

"How can I possibly hurt Louis? He's a monster." I rolled my eyes.

Harry grabbed my chin roughly. "After what happened, he's...more vulnerable. He has a connection with you and I won't have you taking advantage of that and stabbing him in the back. Is that clear?"

Falling silent, I nodded. "I'll try even though he doesn't deserve it. And what about me? Are you going to yell at them to be more careful with me after what happened?"

"This isn't about you right now. I'm worried about Louis. Every time you brush him off he's crushed. He's never like this." Harry insisted in a low voice so we wouldn't be heard.

"I don't think you understand what we went through." I murmured.

"You were both beaten. I saw the videos he sent." Harry said.

"Yes, but I was beaten more than he was." I replied.

"Why is that?" Harry wanted to know.

"I just...it just happened that way." I responded, not wanting him to know what I did for Louis.

"But Declan hates Louis." Harry pondered. After a moment he shook his head. "Just...be nicer to him, okay? He's my best mate."

I looked at the ground and shrugged. "I can try, but it's not easy pretending that he never hurt me."

When I turned to go back inside, Harry stopped me once again by placing a hand on my shoulder. "And by the way, who is Caspian?"

What?

My entire body froze as I stared at the door in front of me in terror. How the hell?

"You kept mumbling the name in your sleep while you were sick." He explained.

Oh...

It took great effort to glance back at him casually and shrug. "My cousin."

"Oh. Really? Huh." He responded, miraculously believing me.

I looked away and opened the door, praying he wouldn't question it. Harry would never find out he has a son. Caspian would remain a secret and he would be safe from ever coming in contact with this world. Harry would never have any kind of influence over my son.


	32. Reminiscing

"Don't argue, Scarlet. Just come with me." Harry insisted while he tugged me toward the door.

"I don't want to go with you." I shrugged out of his hold, but he gripped my arm harder.

"We're just gonna walk around. You've been complaining about being stuck in here and so I'm taking you out." Harry said in exasperation as he pulled me out the door of the isolation cabin.

"But I...I don't want to walk around camp. Especially with you." I stated gently.

He gave me a look and ignored my words, making me go with him. I glared at Louis and Liam who watched us walk out the door—Liam had a bit of a scowl on his face. For some reason he'd been quite vexed with me lately and had been treating me with hostility.

"You know, normally, you would scream, yell, throw a fit, and punch me to get your way. If you're not going to fight me, then I'll do what I want." Harry said seriously as he tugged me down the porch steps.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You're not yourself. Sure you've put up a fight somewhat...you know when I brought you here and stuff. But overall, you're being a wimp. Just allowing me to walk all over you." Harry went on and I didn't know what he was talking about.

"Harry...I don't think you understand. I've been through a lot." I murmured as he pulled me along. I wanted my hand out of his.

"That didn't phase you before. You were always so brave. I liked that about you." He said.

"I...I'm not following." I responded.

Sighing deeply, Harry stopped and made me look at him. "I'll put it plain and simple then. You're supposed to be strong. You're supposed to be so strong and brave that you fight me when I'm being cruel. But lately, you're too afraid of everything to stand up for yourself. And I don't like it."

Staring at him as if he'd grown another head, I scoffed. "What kind of shît are you talking about? I thought you wanted me to let you have your way and not be so difficult. If you ask me, you should be jumping with joy because I've been so easy."

"It's not about the sex right now." Harry spoke up sternly, his eyebrows furrowing together as he grew frustrated with my confusion. "It's about the fact that I...cared for you because you're strong. You're brave. I don't see any of that right now. I...miss it."

"I don't understand you, Harry. Not one bit." I whispered shaking my head.

He continued walking and jerked me along roughly. I could tell his frustration was rising, but I didn't get what he was trying say. Harry wasn't someone who cares about people, or likes that someone is strong. All he was capable of caring about was his dîck.

When he dropped the subject, I realized we were approaching the rows of cabins for the girls. I slowed my pace and he stopped, looking back at me. He tugged me but I resisted.

"Not here. Let's go somewhere else." I requested quietly, looking past him at the cabins, slightly hidden by overgrown trees.

He knew exactly why I didn't want go there, but Harry being the prideful bàstard he was, ignored me. I squirmed slightly and tried wiggling my wrist out of his grip, but he was strong and kept pulling me. Soon we were standing in the middle of the two rows of cabins facing us and Harry was eyeing the cabin labeled Flamingo.

"Please, Harry. Don't." I whispered pleadingly.

He turned to me. "You don't want to go inside?"

"No. I never wanted to come here again. Don't make me." I begged.

He rolled his eyes and jerked me toward him so my body bumped into him. I grunted and tried to push away, but he easily held me there. He looked down on me in disappointment.

"Fight me. If you put up a big enough fight, then maybe I'll consider." He said.

I wanted to. I wanted punch him in the nose, but something was holding me back. Recollections of being in that dark cold basement with a whip continually slicing through my skin came to me and I sucked in a frightened breath. Bad things always happened when I fought. I couldn't do it.

But I wasn't there anymore. I was here. 

Harry wouldn't whip me, a voice said.

He might still hurt me though, another added.

"Fine. If you're just gonna stand there like a deer in the headlights then come on." Harry spoke up, breaking through my jumbled thoughts and he dragged me toward my old cabin.

I was paralyzed by fear all of a sudden and I hated it as he brought me up the steps and tried the door. It was locked, but he easily kicked it open. He pushed me inside and I wobbled on my feet as I sadly looked around the room. I hugged myself, seeing my old bed immediately. It smelled musty and old and it had a very lonely feeling because no one was living in it. And just as I thought, the memories started spinning through my mind.

Meeting Harry for the first time when I thought something was off about him.

The boys always coming and taking me to their cabin for sex.

Louis ambushing me and taking me on all fours like an animal after I'd just tried to end my life.

I closed my eyes and breathed hard, tears coming to my eyes. I stood like that for a while, so filled with fear and anger that I didn't notice Harry walking toward the door.

"Let's go." He spoke louder.

Turning around, I didn't need to be asked twice. I rushed past him out the door, but he grabbed my hoodie to keep me from running off. I was shaken up now and didn't talk for a while as Harry led me through the cabins and down the paths that I knew all too well. The main buildings eventually came into view, but Harry avoided just walking right up to them. Instead he went around to the back and peered into the windows of the hangout building.

"Just making sure there aren't any workers here. There shouldn't be, but you never know." He explained and then made his way around to the back door.

He had to break the lock in order to open the door and then he pulled me inside after him. It was the strangest feeling ever to be back here. It didn't feel real that I was back at camp. Harry's hand remained glued to mine and we looked around curiously. All of the same couches were scattered around. All of the same tables and games were placed here and there. I spotted the closet where they made me play seven minutes in heaven...or hell in this instance.

"It's strange...being here again. But not being able to use you like we used to." Harry mused aloud.

I sighed, slightly calmed by the echoey quiet that filled the room. "I must say...I'm surprised by your self control. I didn't know you had any."

"I'm surprised too." I grumbled.

"Why are you bringing me to all these places? You know it's only torturing me." I said softly.

He ignored me and began walking toward the closet. I sucked in a breath and resisted, but he easily forced me across the room toward the big fireplace and the closet on the neighboring wall. He opened the closet.

"Remember when Louis fûcked you in here and you liked it?" He asked.

"I did not like it!" I shot at him angrily.

"You're dripping pûssy and uncontrolled moans said differently." He replied vulgarly.

I gasped in disgust. "You idiotic—"

"Louis kept gushing about how you responded to him. You'd never felt like that before. You even told me it was the best orgàsm you ever had." Harry kept mocking me.

"I hated it! I didn't want it. You know that." I gritted my teeth and stomped away from the closet as he tried to pull me back.

I wrenched myself away and marched back to the door. He followed and walked beside me with a pleased grin on his face. I wanted slap it right off of him. We left the building and he guided me back the way we came. He was pulling me again and guiding me along so I wouldn't escape. I was so furious with him that I wasn't really paying attention to where we were going until we turned onto a certain path that pushed automatic alarm bells in my brain.

I stopped and trembled a little.

Harry didn't pause to ask what was wrong and only pulled me forward. I hesitantly stepped along the path until we came out between two cabins and he turned to the left. I saw the one cabin I never wanted to see again and I stopped short.

"No, Harry. Not there. Anywhere but there." My voice audibly shook and he tilted his head to watch me.

"We're going in there, Scarlet." Harry stated firmly.

"No, actually we're not." I argued, pulling away from his hold.

Harry yanked me forward and began pulling me toward his old cabin. Fear swept through me as we drew nearer. I knew that I desperately did not want to enter that cabin ever again. And Harry was not going to make me.

I made up my mind.

That's where it all began—where Harry ripped away any innocence I had and turned me into a weak little girl afraid of her own shadow. But today I was not that girl. I was NOT going inside that cabin.

"No, Harry!" I pleaded, attempting to jerk my hand out of his.

He held on tighter and soon had to drag me along the pine needle covered ground. I was struggling now, digging my heels into the ground and yanking myself against him, but Harry kept pulling me.

"This is where I first claimed you—made you mine." He said darkly, trying to keep me in his grasp.

As we reached the bottom of the steps, I was fighting. I kicked his leg and he grunted.

"Don't make me go in there! How cruel can you be? You ruined my life in that place! I will not go in there!" I yelled at him.

He continued trying to overpower me while I used all my strength to try to hit him. I finally managed to slap him in the face and it felt so good. His eyes widened and he smirked at me. I clenched my fist and socked him right in the nose, so hard that I heard a pop. He immediately let go of my body and held his nose with both hands, staring at me in shock.

"I hope I broke it, you two-faced motherfûcker." I spat at him and stalked away.

I heard him following me and I turned, ready to fight him again, but he was only smiling wildly as he pinched his nose with one hand. He seemed proud of himself for some reason. Instead of pulling me back to the cabin, he walked with me down a trail back toward the isolation cabins. Confused, I kept glancing at him.

"What the fûck is your problem?" I finally asked.

He shrugged, catching my eye. "I got you to fight me."

Pausing, I scowled. "That was your goal?"

"There's still hope for you, Scarlet. I haven't completely ruined you." He said, walking ahead of me.

Gazing after him in confusion, I shook my head and continued. We had barely reached the isolation cabin when we heard running footsteps behind us and Louis calling Harry's name.

"Harry!" Louis gasped for breath as he and Liam both caught up to us out of breath.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked worriedly.

"We've just been wandering about and..." Louis stopped to take a breath as he bent forward to lean on his knees. He didn't have the strength required for such strenuous running yet.

"And what? Spit it out mate." Harry grumbled.

"Declan." Liam answered.

The name caused me to tear up and I took a step back, stumbling on the first step behind me.

"We've seen him. And his men. They're here at the camp." Louis spoke as if he were telling us the end of the world. He looked just as shaken as I probably did. "And he's looking for us. I know it."


	33. A Narrow Escape

"You're sure he's here? In the camp?" Harry clarified, stepping closer to me.

Liam nodded, looking agitated. "Definitely. He's brought loads of men. We've got to move fast."

"Yes, please can we hide or something?" I said as I looked past them into the forest for any sign of movement.

"Let's do something. Now." Louis spoke up quickly.

Harry raked a hand through his silky curls. "Dammit, we don't have service out here. I need to call—"

"I called them. I managed to sneak into the event building and used the phone booth." Louis cut in and Harry visibly relaxed.

"They're coming? Then we just need to stay hidden until they do." Harry decided, leading us up the porch steps. He turned back and lowered his voice to a growl. "When the boys come, we'll blast Declan and his fûcking army to hell."

Harry went inside and Louis appeared beside me, placing an arm around my shoulders lightly and guiding me up the stairs. I looked at him curiously, but he pretended not to notice. He then removed his arm. We went inside and Harry was running around throwing things into our bags hastily.

"Come on lads. We've got no time to lose." He said.

Soon all our stuff was packed in the bags and the boys swiftly left the cabin with me being pulled along. I continually looked out into the forest, expecting Declan to appear and capture me again. Rather than heading back on the path, the boys took off into the trees and made sure I kept up. We were heading over toward the entrance to camp, but taking the long way around so we wouldn't be noticed.

The closer we got, the slower we went until Harry motioned for us to stop. We all bent down and were well hidden behind the thick underbrush. I felt a hand on my back and thought it was Harry's, but it was Louis on my right side.

I looked at him.

He glanced at me, clearly shaken up. "We're not getting caught, Scar."

I was confused when his words comforted me and nodded slowly, looking back toward the clearing. Liam nudged Louis and handed him something. I looked down and sucked in a breath when I saw a gun in Louis' hand. My eyes darted up to meet his and he gave me a look.

"This gun isn't for you this time." He said, probably remembering how he'd used one against me before.

All three of them had a gun and I saw an extra in the bag. "Can't I have one?"

"You don't know how to use one." Harry rolled his eyes like I was stupid.

"I'll have you know, Mister Arrogant Bîtch, that I learned how to shoot while you three were in prison. I may not be good at it, but at least I know how to hold it, aim, and shoot." I returned dryly.

Harry pursed his lips, but gave it to me anyway. "Don't lose it, understand? It's...was Niall's."

All three of them fell silent when Niall's name was mentioned. Liam turned his face so I couldn't see his expression.

I clutched the cold gun in my hands and held it in my lap, pointing it at the ground. I didn't know if I would be able to aim at a person and shoot them, but even if I couldn't, I could always make them think I would. Suddenly there was a disturbance ahead among the main buildings. We all tensed and fell silent and unmoving.

"Check everywhere you idiots! That means the lake too! Follow every path, search every building. They're here somewhere." Declan was shouting at his men and we caught sight of the man briefly before the foliage blocked our view. "Find them and bring them to me! We're killing them today!"

I held my breath, fear spiraling up my spine. He looked just as scary as he had before, if not more. We sat there hidden in the bushes for some time. I wondered how long it would take whoever Louis called to get here. But before long, we heard tires squealing and loud rap music thumping through the air. The tires screeched to a halt in the clearing in front of us and suddenly there was shouting and cursing. It sounded as if many vehicles had just arrived. I quickly ducked down in shock when guns began going off.

Harry was smirking at me, despite the fact that his nose was clearly swollen and red from my well aimed punch. "I've got the best men in world."

The music was still blaring while the guns exploded from each side. I was too surprised to do anything but lay on the ground on my stomach so stray bullets wouldn't hit me even though we were hidden and far away.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"My men of course. They work for me." Harry answered.

Pretty soon the gunfire slowed and a loud speaker came on. A man's voice spoke up arrogantly. "Mr. Styles you can come out now."

Harry immediately stood up while I was ready to just stay there on the ground and hide. He began pulling me up, but I resisted. Both Liam and Harry pulled me up and then made me walk with them toward the main buildings.

"How do you know it's safe?" I wanted to know fearfully.

They ignored me however and I clutched the gun tightly, ready for anything. We broke through the trees and I was surprised to see several vehicles and a swarm of big burly men standing around with guns in their hands. Several more were prowling around the buildings looking for other enemies.

Harry immediately directed me over to his own car and opened the back door. "Get in. We're leaving."

I had no intention of arguing. I didn't want to stay one more minute at this dreadful camp and Declan was still somewhere nearby. Unless he'd been killed, which I thought was unlikely because bad guys don't die that easily.

"Stay here, understand?" Harry ordered.

I climbed up into the car and scooted over. Suddenly realizing how cold I was because of my wet hair, I wrapped my arms around myself. The doors were closed and the boys went over to talk to some of the men who looked like they were in charge. I wondered who these men were and what their jobs were as Harry's...employees...or whatever they were.

Harry tucked his gun in the waistband of his tight jeans and gestured toward the main buildings. He was having a very intense conversation with the men while Louis and Liam stood on either side of him with their arms crossed. Then Harry and Louis began leading a large group of men toward the buildings while Liam walked toward me in the car.

Anxious, I waited until Liam opened the driver's door and got in. He didn't speak to me, but simply looked ahead at the other boys disappearing behind the hangout building.

"What's going on?" I was afraid to ask.

"They're going to try to find Declan." He said simply.

"And...kill him?" I asked. It sounded weird to say the words out loud.

"That's the plan." He murmured.

"Why aren't you helping?"

"I'm here to protect you. He trusts Louis and I the most so he wanted one of us to stay with you." Liam glanced back, sending me a look that said 'stop talking.'

I fell silent and anxiously looked out the window. It was terrifying knowing that Declan, who had tortured me for almost two months, was lurking around this very area. Feeling afraid, I climbed up into the front seat next to Liam and he looked at me strangely.

Pretty soon we heard rapid gunfire and I slouched in my seat nervously. Liam was casually sitting next to me with his elbow on the door and his fingers rubbing the stubble on his jaw. He didn't seem surprised or nervous at all.

"Should we leave? What if they come and shoot us?" I wanted to know urgently.

He rolled his eyes and switched the car on, but didn't go anywhere. My gaze landed on a group of people running out from between two of the buildings with their guns firing at something behind them. Several of them dropped to the ground instantly and my eyes widened in shock. And then there was Declan, dodging bullets and crouching behind the corner of the dining hall. He was shooting at something out of our sight. Liam suddenly moved fast, rolling down his window and taking his gun out. He carefully aimed it in the direction of Declan.

I clutched the seat rests in a death grip as I watched Liam's steady arms hold the gun motionless. He then pulled the trigger and I saw Declan jerk to the side. He clutched his arm and turned his furious gaze in our direction. Liam fired again, but missed as Declan began running across the open ground. Suddenly I saw Harry sprinting after him with Louis not far behind.

A few vehicles stormed their way through Harry's men and screeched to halt before Declan and he quickly jumped in. It was clear Declan was outnumbered so he must have decided to make a run for it. Harry stopped and tried shooting him, but missed.

"No! He can't escape!" I cried, leaning forward.

Harry's men continued firing and chasing after the car Declan had gotten into, but soon all of Declan's surviving men were driving away out of camp. A few of Harry's cars sped after them, but I doubted they would catch him. I covered my face with my hands in dread. Harry was standing in the middle of the dirt ground seething with anger. Louis immediately began making his way over to us; appearing angry as well.

"I...can't believe he got away." I breathed.

"I can't believe they didn't shoot him in the fûcking face." Liam grumbled irritably.

Louis yanked open the back door and got in. Harry soon joined us and made me get in the back so he could sit in the front. They were all silent a moment.

"I almost had him." Harry sighed.

"Yeah right. You missed by like twenty feet." Louis rolled his eyes and slouched in the corner, looking out the window.

Harry slapped Liam's arm. "Just drive."

"That's it? You're all just giving up? Can't we follow him to see where he goes?" I spoke up as Liam turned the car around and followed the rest of Harry's men toward the exit of camp.

"The others will follow him and tell me where he hides." Harry answered.

"Why do all these men listen to you? They seem way more authoritative and mature than you do. Plus you're like twelve compared to them." I went on.

"Just shut up." Harry snapped.

Rather than looking out the window at the camp I despised, I stared at my lap and didn't speak anymore. I didn't need a last look. I hated this place.

•••

A few hours later we stopped at a tall abandoned-looking building in an extremely sketchy area of the city we had been driving through. It was plain and unsuspicious. It blended in with the rest of the sad old buildings around it. We all got out of the car and went up to a door in the very creepy side alley. After knocking, the door opened and Harry went straight in like he knew the place. The rest of us followed. The boys held our bags and I held myself because I was entirely tense with anxiety in this foreign creepy building.

A man in a faded leather jacket greeted us with a devilish smirk. He looked like one of those guys you see on the streets who you go out of your way to avoid because they look as though they will kill you.

He nodded to Harry. "Welcome back boss." 

"Any news on Henrik?" Harry went straight to the point.

"None, sir. He's vanished." The guy shrugged.

Harry let out a frustrated sigh. I stood behind Louis with Liam by my side and nervously looked around.

"Where are we?" I asked Louis.

He barely gave me a glance and ignored my question.

Rude.

"We won't be here long. Just until he's dead. So get on it. No one will rest until he's ten feet under." Harry announced and the guy nodded and left.

Harry turned back and grabbed my hand. "Don't let me out of your sight understand? These men may be under my command, but they could do anything they want with you if you're alone. I'll do everything I can to make sure no one touches you."

Fear rising, I tried to steady my voice. "What is this place?"

Swallowing hard, Harry looked away. "I didn't want to bring you here."

"Where are we?" I repeated.

"Come on. I'll take you to a safe place." Harry pulled me forward.

"Harry!" I jerked my hand out of his and stood between the other boys. "What is this place?"

He sighed, glancing at the boys who nodded encouragingly then gave me a grave look. "This is my base of operations. You know I sell girls...I've told you that before if you recall. This is where I do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter! I always greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts and reactions. ❤
> 
> Who's your favorite character? Who's your least favorite?


	34. He Won't Change

"You sell girls here? In this building?" I said in disgust and horror. "Why the hell would you bring me here?"

Harry dragged his hands down his face and sighed deeply as if explaining would be the most exhausting thing in the world. "Yes, now drop it. Come along and don't speak."

I shrank away and gave him a look of pure disappointment. "How could you still have this running after being in prison for three years?"

Harry glanced at the other two. Louis was looking at the ceiling while Liam stood there with his arms crossed. "Listen, love. Hearing about what happens here would be too difficult for you to handle. So I won't tell you anything but what I already told you for your own good. Now if you don't walk with me right now I'll have to sling you over my shoulder."

I slapped his hand away again, getting ready to pester him with more questions, but Harry moved too fast. He bent down and picked me up by my waist and flung me over his shoulder. I hit his back with my fists and started commanding him to let me down, but the boys began walking briskly down a dark hallway with doors on either side. Harry slapped my bottom hard to make me quit it.

"Shut up Scarlet. I mean it." He growled.

I lifted my head to look at Louis behind us and he nodded in agreement, placing a finger up to his lips. I sensed that it would be wise for me to go quietly. Ceasing my struggling, I reluctantly allowed Harry to carry me along.

We walked through a maze of hallways and stairs and doors until we had gone up several floors to a nicer looking area. We had passed several men who greeted Harry and the others excitedly. All of them had given me crooked smirks when the boys weren't looking—as if they were imagining what I'd look like on a bed underneath them.

I wondered how long each of them had been a part of destroying young girls' lives. The sight of them sickened me. They clearly saw me as nothing but an object.

Once alone in a wide hallway which was brightly lit by windows on either end and skylights above, we stopped at a door. Harry set me down and tipped my chin up. I recoiled and moved away from his poisonous touch. I hated him so much in that moment.

"Don't be like that, Scarlet. I've been so good to you this whole time. How ungrateful can you be?" Harry complained.

"Good works don't make up for bad things you've done." I told him bluntly.

He rolled his eyes. "You're staying in this room with me. So come on."

"Wait, Harry. Couldn't she stay with me? You've had her most of the time." Louis asked.

"Hey hold up. What about me? It's like I'm invisible. I haven't had a chance to spend time with her at all this whole time." Liam spoke up.

I didn't like the idea of spending time with Liam. He had been acting a little grouchy lately.

Harry looked from one to the other uncertainly. "She'll just stay with me for now."

Louis and Liam sighed in disappointment and went to the next two doors without arguing. It surprised me when a part of me wished Harry would have let me stay with Louis. But Louis was scary! He was the worst of them all. He'd always been the one to beat me the harshest and hurt me most viciously. That time together in Declan's basement had really messed with my mind.

Harry pulled me through the sturdy door and shut and locked it. I spotted a king size bed under the large window and some other furniture scattered around. It seemed clean, but smelled old. He went straight to another door and opened it. "I've needed to take a piss for like two hours...I expect you to stay in this room, understand?"

"I have no intention of bumping into another one of your slave drivers out there. I'm staying right here." I responded truthfully and sat down on the chair by the window.

He seemed convinced and disappeared in what I guessed was the bathroom for a few moments. I only managed to take a quick look around the room before he emerged again and quickly found my location.

"Good girl." He smirked and exited the bathroom. He casually buttoned up his jeans while I looked away.

"How many girls are here now?" I asked quietly.

He frowned at me and adjusted his jeans, quickly stepping over to me to tower over my small form. "Let me make something very clear to you. If you ask about anything having to do with the girls here and what I do with them, I will have something horrible done to you. Got it?"

Gulping, I tried not to show my fear. "Like what?"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'll give you to Liam, he seems pretty irritable right now...I'm sure he'd love a release and some time to put you back in your place."

Shocked, I stood to my feet and shoved at his chest which hardly did anything. "You moron. I can't believe you expect me to have feelings for you when you go around threatening me with ràpe all the damn time!"

He pursed his lips and lowered his head, thinking. "I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Dumbass." I muttered, leaving him there to wander around the room.

"Bloody hell I just want to—" Harry stopped talking when I turned to look at him and then he mumbled finally, "not...fûck you."

I nodded in approval that it seemed I had some kind of power at the moment. He was trying to make up for threatening me, but obviously that wasn't going to happen.

After a while he spoke up. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Mexican. I'm dying to have Mexican food." I admitted. We'd been eating trash ever since they rescued me from Declan's. And at Declan's I'd only been eating old leftovers and moldy bread. 

"Alright. I'll see what the others want." He dropped onto the bed and took out his phone, typing away.

Was I really going to get Mexican food? The thought made my mouth water and my stomach rumble. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. But what really caught my eye was his phone.

"Harry...?" I murmured.

"Hm." He hummed absentmindedly.

"Could I use your phone?" I asked and he immediately paused.

Tilting his head at me, he gave me a serious expression. "No."

"Please?" I begged. "I need to know if my family is alright. I haven't heard from them in a few months. Please, Harry."

"I said no and I expect you to listen." Harry spoke sternly.

"I just need five minutes! It's not that long and I won't tell them where I am...not that I even know anyway." I continued.

Harry stood up and stuck his phone in his back pocket. "Fine. I'll let you use it."

I stopped begging and cocked my head suspiciously. "You will?"

He nodded, a mischievous smirk creeping onto his face. "On one condition: you give me a blowjob."

I instantly withdrew and glared at him. "Asshole. You know I'd never do that willingly."

He shrugged. "If you give me a blowjob. Or any sexual favor really, I'll let you use my phone. Okay?"

Harry only said that because he knew I wouldn't do it. Frustrated, I crossed my arms and desperately wished to know if everyone I loved was safe. I had a very bad feeling. It had been so long that Declan had had almost too much time to find out private facts about my family. What if he hurt someone? What if he discovered my son? Harry shrugged and forgot about it after a while because obviously I wasn't going to do anything sexual with him.

•••

It was late when I found myself on stool in a spacious room which sported a fancy bar on one wall. The room had a few high top tables along the edges and the lights were dim, creating a mood. It was connected to Harry's and Louis' rooms—like a little private club. Except there were only four of us there. I leaned on the counter of the bar and watched Liam and Louis to my left laughing and joking each with a glass in hand.

Harry was sat at my right, fingering a bottle of whiskey as he quietly listened to the loud music coming from the speakers around the room.

"You look nice." He spoke up, glancing down at my body.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my legs. He somehow had gotten me to wear a dress tonight, but I had only cooperated when he gave me black tights so my scarred legs wouldn't show. Plus the laced red dress had long sleeves, but was still quite sensual. Harry claimed he wanted all of us to have a fun night out, or "in," since we couldn't leave the building without potentially being spotted by Declan.

"You know you don't have to hide your skin." Harry told me.

I gave him a dry look. "Easy for you to say."

He straightened his nice looking black dress shirt. "I don't care about the scars. You're still beautiful."

Sadly, I went back to watching Louis and Liam, who were now becoming a little too drunk. I should have stopped them several shots ago, but Harry kept distracting me. Louis somehow fell off his stool and landed directly on his butt on the hardwood floor. The two froze in shock for a second before simultaneously busting out in laughter.

"Good thing I have a big ass or that would have hurt a lot more." Louis boasted and burst out laughing and Liam slapped his knee, tears coming out of his eyes.

"They haven't acted like that in forever." Harry pondered aloud, almost sadly.

"Alcohol changes you." I pointed out.

"No... They haven't seemed so happy and carefree, joking and acting like, well like friends." Harry went on. "Everything recently has just been so terrible. We can never just be like this."

Thoughtfully, I folded my hands together. It was probably because of me to be honest. If they had simply decided not to ràpe me in the first place, they would all still be mates. Niall would still be alive. But they also wouldn't have gone to jail and been exposed...

I noticed Harry pouring himself a drink. Suddenly becoming anxious, I sat there quietly, not wanting them becoming so drunk that they might try to take advantage of me. He gulped down the entire thing in a second.

"Here, have a drink. You could use one." He offered, pouring me a splash.

"Oh no. I don't want any." I shook my head.

"Scarlet!" Liam sang.

Both of them were turned toward me leaning on the counter drunkenly. Louis hiccuped.

"Want to play a game?" Liam asked with an obviously mischievous grin.

"No." I answered bluntly and they both frowned.

"Come on babe." Louis leaned over the empty seat between us and touched my arm. "We want to have fun with you. It's been ages since we...did anything."

"I said no." I repeated and Harry flicked Louis' hand away from me.

"Listen to the lady." Harry shook his finger at them.

He wasn't drunk like them, but I could tell he was becoming happier. He slid my drink closer and pointed at it.

"One drink won't hurt. Come on, love. It'll help you forget. You can live in the moment for a while. The past. The future. It'll all go away." Harry whispered in my ear, while his finger trailed down my back.

I shivered and carefully moved his hands away from me. "I'd rather remain sound in mind. I don't want to be taken advantage of."

"Ouch. You think I'd take advantage of you?" He asked with a frown.

"You're such an idiot." I sighed in disgust.

"Hey Scarlet." Louis was suddenly standing behind me and his arms wrapped around my waist. I latched my hands onto his arms and tried to remove them but he held me tightly while whispering huskily into my ear. "Let's go to my room eh? I wanna make you feel good. Come on baby I want to fûck you."

"Louis let go of me!" I ordered, fearfully trying to get him to release me. I hated feeling helpless.

Louis seemed to be different lately, but I guess while under the influence, he was the same old Louis. He grabbed my hips and squeezed, making me yelp in surprise.

"Lou, let her go. She doesn't like that." Harry swatted him away.

Louis glared at Harry and pouted at me. Liam came up to my side and attempted to kiss me but Harry pushed him hard enough that he lost his balance. He fell backward and then started laughing at himself as he lay in the floor. Louis joined him on the floor and then the two were lying on their backs singing along at the top of their lungs to the song playing. I hoped I had been forgotten.

"Thanks..." I murmured.

"What?" Harry asked, clearly debating whether to have another drink.

"Thanks for keeping them away from me." I said softly.

"Oh. Yeah. Whatever. We haven't touched you at all so far and I didn't think you'd appreciate the next time being when they're drunk. Lou is quite rough and careless when he's intoxicated and Liam's well...he's just plain nasty." Harry rambled on.

"You don't have to be so blunt about it. And there won't be 'a next time.' That's for sure." I stated.

Harry ruffled his hair. "I wish there would be.” At my frown, he quickly apologized. “I'm kidding. Sorry..."

Glancing at him curiously, I sighed. "You know Harry. I'm honestly shocked that none of you have...ràped me. I am entirely and pleasantly surprised. Even though you bring it up all the time...you haven't actually done it. And I'm just really thankful."

Harry cleared his throat and suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Yeah well. I might not have done it, but I think about it all the time. I'm not completely blameless when it comes to that."

Shaking my head, I replied. "But what matters is that you haven't acted on your thoughts. You don't know how thankful I am."

The corners of Harry's mouth tugged upwards. "I'm glad, Scarlet."

We fell silent for a moment, listening to the other two singing loudly and obnoxiously. Harry nudged my drink to the edge of the counter right in front of me.

"Come on. Live a little. I'll make sure they don't touch you." Harry cocked his head innocently. "This much won't even make you drunk, just a little tipsy."

The idea of dampening my stress and anxiety for a little while greatly appealed to me. Sighing, I threw a hand up. "Fine."

"Really?" Harry asked, seeming surprised and sticking a hand in his pocket. "I mean, great. Drink up. What the hell is Louis doing?"

I turned around and caught Louis pretending he was an inchworm while Liam watched and guffawed. I reached for my glass and turned to see Harry holding it.

"For you, beautiful." He held it out and smirked charmingly; except it would have been charming to anyone but me.

Making a face at him, I tipped my head back and gulped the small glass quickly. It wasn't the greatest tasting whiskey I'd ever had. Almost immediately my head began to buzz. Gee that was some strong liquor. I instantly regretted drinking it and looked to Harry who was watching me with great interest.

"Can't I just go to sleep now? I'd rather be in bed." I told him, touching my fingers to my forehead.

"So would I." He murmured.

When the room began to blur and my balance became trippy, I held my head. "Fûck."

"Something wrong?" Harry asked quickly.

"No, I'm fine." I answered lazily, feeling my energy drain and my nerves calm down. I definitely felt strange...not like I usually did when I had a drink. 

Something was off.

"How do you feel?" He questioned, placing a hand on my back.

"Uh... alright. I feel fine." I responded, but was feeling a rush of something good shoot through me. I was starting to feel really good.

"Yeah?" He asked, rubbing my back.

"Yeah. I feel...good." I said, appreciating the gentle rubbing on my back.

"Excellent." Harry said under his breath.

His other hand found its way to my leg and I looked down at it. "What are you doing..."

He tipped my chin up. "Nothing at all, love. I'm just sitting here."

Suddenly finding something funny, I snorted as I attempted to keep a laugh in. I slapped a hand over my mouth quickly. "What was that?" I asked and then laughed at my voice which was slurred and lazy.

Harry's eyes lit up. "I haven't heard you laugh in so long..."

I giggled at that. "I don't know why. You're so funny!"

He nervously chuckled. "I am?"

I laughed and leaned back, almost falling off the chair but Harry caught me. He stood up and turned me toward him so my legs were on either side of his hips. My hands went around his neck and I looked into his green eyes. They had never seemed so pretty than in that moment. Why hadn't I noticed it before?

"You're a beautiful man, Harry." I spoke up, giggling at my broken speech.

A smirk lit up his face as he leaned forward so our faces were inches apart. "Tell me something love. What's your name?"

"What? I don't know it doesn't matter. I don't really know what's going on but who cares! I feel so happy I could fly away!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air.

"Wonderful to hear." Harry grinned and slid his large hands down my hips, down my thighs, to the hem of my dress.

I watched in fascination as he dragged his hands up a little, bringing my dress with them. Then one hand disappeared up my dress and moved to settle awfully close to my private area and I looked at him in worry. I didn't know why, but I felt like I should be worried about the gesture.

"No, no love. This is a good thing. You'll feel good. Isn't that right? You want this?" Harry asked seriously.

Confused, because nothing in my brain was working, I nodded. Something was telling me that his hands up my dress was bad. But the extraordinary good feelings and sensations I was experiencing in that moment overrode anything negative. Plus I couldn't remember anything. I didn't even try to remember because it just seemed like too much work. All I was aware of was what was right in front of me: Harry. I nodded and smiled.

"I wanna feel amazing. I want to forget all the bad feelings. I wanna be happy." I giggled, feeling dizzy when Harry picked me up off the stool and began carrying me across the room. My head dropped to his shoulder because for some reason my muscles weren't working properly.

"Hey lads, we're turning in for the night." Harry called, but all his attention was on me as he approached the door to his bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do you suppose it's so hard for Harry to change?


	35. Used

Harry's hands were wrapped around my thighs, keeping me against him as he carried me out of the clubbing room and back into his private bedroom. Everything seemed to be moving crazily and in slow motion, making me dizzy. I just tried to hold onto Harry's neck as he shut the door and spun us around. My head drooped down again because I was having trouble keeping it up.

With a lazy smile, I murmured against his warm neck, "I feel like I'm on a ride in Disneyland."

He chuckled and stopped walking. "Lift your head up for me."

"Mm. Can't. It's too hard." I laughed, but tried to anyway. I managed to lift my head and looked into his eyes, seeing him staring seriously at me.

Then he smirked and tipped me backward. I let out a surprised squeal as my body fell back and I landed on the bed ungracefully.

"I didn't know the bed was there! I thought you dropped me on the floor!" I gasped, clutching my heart.

"I'd never do that to you." He shook his head and watched me flail around.

My arms felt like jelly and I was fascinated that I could move them. I kept watching my arms as I waved them around, giggling now and then. When I noticed Harry looking at me with a frown on his face, I slapped my arms against the mattress like they were deadweight.

"What's the matter? Why you looking so down? Have fun with me!" I exclaimed.

Harry scratched the back of his neck, glancing behind him as if he were afraid he were being watched. Why did he seem so guilty? I didn't know and I didn't care.

"Harry!" I called, struggling to roll over and sit up, but it was nearly impossible. "Come sit. I wanna have fun."

He placed one knee on the bed and seemed to be extremely tense as he breathed hard. "I don't know if I should. I want to...but I just..."

He crawled onto the bed and sat next to my sprawled out body. I poked his leg and then laughed at his reaction. He bit his lip, leaning down toward me. When his face was close enough, I stuck a finger out and poked his nose. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head at how amusing I thought I was.

"I'm so happy right now." I told him, beaming widely.

He sighed deeply and caressed my hair which was everywhere. "You don't know how I wish you'd feel that way all the time with me."

"You're attractive." I pointed out. "I never noticed till now. You have a very appealing jawline."

He snickered when I reached out and ran a finger along his jaw. He caught my hand, visibly swallowing hard.

"Love...c-can I ask you something?" He asked shakily.

"Anything!" I responded quickly, scooting closer to him because he smelled nice.

"Do you...want to feel good?" He asked quietly.

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. "Duh. I wanna feel so good. I wanna float. Like an albatross. Over the hills and the sea...float away into paradise."

"I can take you there..." Harry rasped, bending down and placing a hand over my body so he was more over me.

"Yay!" I shouted out and he pulled back, surprised by my outburst, but then chuckled in amusement.

He carefully unbuttoned his shirt, letting me watch. I watched with great interest as his long fingers unbuttoned each button slowly and a bit more of his skin started to show. It was his skin that fascinated me the most—those strange tattoos and that flawless smooth skin of his chest. He then flung his shirt to the floor.

I reached out a hand and lightly touched his pecs with the tips of my fingers. I heard him draw in a sharp breath and his muscles tensed. His eyes held uncertainty. Unsteadily sitting up on one elbow, I leaned toward him and let my lips brush against his skin, just below one of his bird tattoos. His hand wrapped around to the back of my head, tangling in my hair. His chest was rapidly rising and falling as I let my lips drag upward to his collarbone.

"Bloody hell..." Harry muttered, gazing down at me as he pulled my hair so I couldn't kiss his torso.

Frowning in frustration, I was speechless for a moment because I was so overwhelmed by the sight of Harry's naked torso. I didn't want to stop touching it. Never had he looked so completely hot than in that moment. I didn't know what was wrong with me.

"Your turn." Harry said finally and carelessly shoved me onto my back, bending my leg up so he could unbuckle my high heels. Soon they were on the floor and Harry moved to sit me up again.

My head fell back, but he helped me keep myself upright. He positioned me so my knees were on either side of his hips and I was sitting on his lap. His hands played with the zipper of my dress and I giggled at him.

"What're you doing buddy? Playing with my clothes?" I slurred.

"Mhm. I'm gonna take it off. You want that don't you love?" Harry asked, glancing down at my lips.

After hesitating, I nodded. "Sure, why not? Live a lil right? Take it off sir!"

The zipper trailed down my back and I shivered, feeling amazing sensations creep through me. I wanted some more of that. Harry took the hem of my dress and pushed it up my thighs, over my hips and up my torso.

"Lift your arms, beautiful." He whispered in my ear sensually.

I complied immediately. Before I knew it, the dress was off me and I suddenly felt exposed. I covered my bra awkwardly, looking at him in puzzlement. I had no sense of what was going on. It felt like a dream.

"No, no. Don't feel uncomfortable. You like this remember? This is good. I'm gonna make you feel so good." Harry spoke calmly and I listened to every word.

"Yes...this is good." I whispered, allowing him to lay me down on my back. "Make me feel good."

Harry smiled in reassurance and reached behind me to unhook my bra. He removed it and tossed it carelessly. By this time his eyes were beginning to look crazed and filled with desire. But to me at that time, it looked incredibly sexy. He was seemingly so distracted by lust that he gripped my black tights and panties and yanked them both down at once. I heard a rip. It was so quick that I didn't have time to realize what he was doing. I didn't exactly realize I was completely naked until Harry climbed over me, drinking in the sight of me. I squirmed and squeezed my legs together and cupped my breasts because there was a nagging instinct to do so somewhere in my foggy mind.

"No, don't cover yourself. Show me everything." Harry ordered, taking my hands way and pinning them down.

I lay there and stared at him, grinning shyly. "You've still got clothes."

He smirked and leaned down, breathing against my neck. "I realize that. I'm trying to convince myself not to do this...but I fûcking can't. I love you too much. It's consuming me. I literally can't stop and you're not helping by looking at me like that."

"It's cold." I stated.

"I know you're cold. Your nipples are evidence of that, but don't worry. I'll warm you right up." He kissed my neck suddenly and I gasped, trying to get my wrists out of his grasp.

I felt so helpless, so powerless, but so alive. When his body lowered down and the hot skin of his chest rubbed against my naked one, I moaned loudly. Holy shît it felt amazing. I raised my chest up so I could feel him more. He continued kissing, licking, and biting at my skin and I was in shambles.

"Harry I...I'm feeling funny." I gasped out before one of his hands slid down my side to settle on my bare hip. With my free hand I gripped his hair and tugged.

He moaned and I felt him go slightly limp, cursing against my skin. "Fûck keep doing that."

I did, pulling and tugging at his curls while he groaned and moved to kiss my  
mouth. I loved his reaction.

He unbuttoned his jeans. "No...no no. Don't do it Harry." He mumbled to himself.

I didn't know what he was talking about. I didn't know anything then. All I knew was that I was feeling amazing—so absolutely fûcking amazing. There was some sort of sourceless joy that was overwhelming my senses. Every touch from Harry, every caress, every kiss—all of it was bringing me into a world I'd never been to.

"Dammit Harry! Don't do it. It's not what she wants. She'll be so angry." Harry continued to mutter random things under his breath...that is until I reached down and began playing with his open zipper.

He looked into my curious begging eyes and cursed. "Fûck it."

He shoved his pants and boxers down, kicking them off with great effort since they were so tight. I laughed at his efforts to remove the fabric hugging his toned legs. Once naked like me, he climbed over me and looked into my eyes again.

"Love..." Harry breathed, appearing distressed, but also tortured by intoxicating lust.

I traced figures onto the skin of his chest, enthralled with the beauty I saw. He was so tantalizingly beautiful.

"You want this?" He asked me, moving my legs to the side.

At the feeling of my legs being pushed apart and cool air hitting my center, I blushed and giggled. "Make me feel good!"

I glanced down, seeing a condom on his dîck. I didn't even noticed him put it on. When he rubbed his length along my slit without entering, I moaned and looked up at him. Even that simple action caused ripples of pleasure to float through me. His eyes were filled with nothing but lust in that moment. He was completely overtaken by it, consumed.

He rubbed over my clît repeatedly and I felt myself becoming slippery for him. He kissed me on the mouth and then slammed himself inside of me in one quick movement. I cried out in shock, feeling pain. An image of him taking me cruelly flashing through my mind, but it quickly vanished.

"Ow!" I gasped, struggling in vain to free my wrists from his grasp. "That hurts!"

He pulled out, shakily breathing. "Bloody hell I'd forgotten."

He pushed back in and I winced at the pain, my eyes smarting with tears. "Harry!"

He opened his eyes, seeming to just realize I was trying to get his attention. "What?"

"You're hurting me." I whimpered, a tear falling.

His eyes immediately widened. "Of course...it's been so long since... I'm sorry I should have known."

He began going at a slower pace, but it felt uncomfortable. I was wanting to cry for a while, but after a few minutes it changed. The stinging pain dissipated and pleasure started shooting through me. My legs bent and my eyes rolled back. I could feel sweat forming all over my body.

Harry grunted and moaned as he thrusted into me repeatedly without slowing down. At the ceasing of my pained whimpers, Harry took that as a sign to go for it. His eyes were closed and he was kissing my neck and my chest while he rocked into me. I was feeling so horny that my high was approaching quickly.

Harry grunted, releasing my hands and settling down further so more of our bodies were touching. "I know you'll never forgive me after this...but I couldn't help it. You...I love you. Even if you don't think I do."

Then I climaxed, crying out in pleasure as it hit me. My legs shook But Harry continued thrusting, going even faster now. I moaned, reaching around his body to clutch his sweating back.

"I...Harry it's so much. I can't—"

He cut me off by covering my mouth with his hand and ramming harshly into me at a furious pace. I screamed under his hand, but he kept going. I was too sensitive now that I had orgàsmed, but he didn't realize that I came. He reached down and rubbed my clît roughly, grunting in pleasure.

He bit my nipple and sucked at it violently, ignoring my moaning and squirming. I had no real strength now to do anything useful for myself. With the added stimulation, I realized another orgàsm was coming. And just as Harry was cursing under his breath as his approached, mine appeared out of nowhere and hit me hard.

Harry gasped as he came shortly after and uncovered my mouth, grabbing my breasts instead as he sloppily thrusted until he was finished. Then he lay flat against my body as he caught his breath. I was dazed, wondering what just happened.

"I hope you don't remember this." Harry murmured against my chest after a while. His arms were tucked against my sides and his legs were still between mine. "But at the same time I do, because you liked it. You wanted it and you didn't fight me."

I simply grinned at him tiredly and remained lying on my back. I was utterly exhausted. He openly stared at my sweaty vulnerable body for a while before he got up. He fixed the covers and placed them over me, kissing my temple.

"Sleep well, Scarlet." He whispered and waited until I closed my eyes before he stood up.

•••

Snapping my eyes open as I abruptly woke from a very deep sleep, I sat up and looked around. The sun was shining through the curtains and Harry had just woken up but he was on the couch. I immediately felt a headache pulsing through my brain and I lay back, clutching my head. That's when I felt a little too underdressed and peeked under the blankets.

I squeaked at the realization that I was completely butt naked under the sheets. Harry was staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face. He was fully clothed.

"What the fûck happened last night?" I demanded, struggling to recall whatever transpired the night before. "Why am I naked?!"

"What do you remember?" Harry asked casually, ruffling his hair as he sat up.

"I..." I scratched my head, holding the blankets close to my neck. "I don't remember...anything."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Nothing at all?"

"I mean..." It was terrifying not remembering anything from last night except for walking into that clubbing room. "I just remember going into that room and Louis and Liam drinking."

Harry shrugged and stood up, ruffling his hair. "Well...you know. It was actually kind of a funny story."

"Harry. Why am I naked?" I wanted to know.

"Well you see. You a had drink, or a couple of drinks. And they must've been something out of the ordinary because you were drunk off your ass. I was gonna put you to bed but you were dancing around and then you took your clothes off and fell asleep on the floor. So I put you in bed and slept on the couch, because I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable." Harry explained.

Struggling to decide whether to believe him or not, I bit my lip and tried to remember. A flash of an image of Harry's naked body over me caused me to tense up. I must have had more nightmares last night. I sighed and pushed that image from my mind.

"You're being truthful?" I inquired, looking at him seriously.

"Of course." Harry nodded, standing near the bed.

I felt uncomfortable being naked under the sheets. "I...don't know whether to believe you or not."

"It's what happened so think what you want. I'll go get some breakfast while you put some clothes on." He said as he walked toward the door.

When he had left, I sat up, regretting life because I felt like shît. What made me drink so much that I'd get drunk? When I scooted my legs to the edge of the bed I winced. I felt my face drain of color. Why was my vagîna sore?

I wrapped the sheets around me and stood up, feeling dizzy and weak and sore. I didn't want to believe that Harry had taken advantage of me last night. He seemed so casual. Maybe my period was coming and so my vagîna was freaking out. Maybe I had an infection. Maybe it was just sore for no reason. It had to be something, anything but Harry.

I decided that until I remembered something for certain, I would take Harry's word for it and trust that he was continuing to learn from his mistakes and change for me. I didn't want to believe he'd do that to me...again.


	36. Liar

We were in the midst of the dead of winter. The freezing temperatures outside caused the rain to become frosty snowflakes. Outside the window of the heated room was an unfamiliar world of white along the lonely street. I felt trapped in this building, like it would be impossible for me to leave if I tried to. The boys hadn't let me leave this floor once since we arrived here three days ago.

Harry had been keeping his distance thankfully, even when we slept. He would simply lie on his side and sleep facing me, but wouldn't touch me. He'd been oddly quiet around me for some reason, avoiding eye contact and giving me special treats like ice cream and chocolate cake.

At last I had women's clothing to wear. I had been wearing mostly their sweatshirts and the same leggings for a while now. Harry had brought in a box of used clothes for me. I didn't know where he got them, but I sincerely hoped they didn't belong to the girls who came in and out of this building. It pained me not knowing anything about what went on here, but they wouldn't tell me anything. When I tried asking, they'd shut me down quickly with threats.

I kept having nightmares about Harry taking me in this room. They wouldn't leave me alone at night and so I was completely exhausted from lack of sleep. Today, I was bored out of my mind being shut up in the same room for the third day in a row. When the door opened, I eagerly turned my head. Louis walked in with a take-out box.

"Here's some food." He said, walking over to me sitting on the couch by the window.

"Thank you." I took it and opened it up, seeing a burger and fries.

Louis stood there for a moment while I began eating. I glanced up curiously, not feeling threatened in the least. He hadn't made a move on me in some time now so I was feeling easier when he was near. He suddenly took a seat next to me and looked my way.

"I think I know why we haven't found Declan yet." He said and I stopped chewing.

"And...?"

"And I think it's Harry." He shrugged. "He isn't trying to find him. I think he's enjoying having you around too much."

I scowled in frustration. "I can't leave until he's dead right? I guess it makes sense that he would do that. Actually, it makes total sense. Harry is a selfish bàstard. Ugh. I hate him so much."

Louis grabbed my wrist, keeping me from taking another bite and I looked at him in surprise.

"I know he's selfish, but he's my best mate. Don't talk about him like that." He demanded.

"I'll say whatever I want about him. He's a dîck." I gave him a sassy look and took a huge bite.

Louis frowned. "Don't. He's had a rough life, just like me. There are reasons he's the way he is."

"Well in case you didn't notice, I've had a pretty sucky life as well and it's only because of him. So excuse me if I feel like calling him a motherfûcking—"

Louis moved toward me quickly and trapped me against the arm of the couch as he pulled on my hair. I put down my burger and stared at him in irritation. I could tell I'd struck a nerve and his eye twitched with anger. He breathed deeply and glared at me.

"I said. Don't talk about Harry like that." He stated smoothly.

"What would you do if I didn't listen?" I asked bravely.

"I'd..." He paused momentarily as he thought.

"Would you...force yourself on me?" I inquired, knowing he wouldn't.

"Scarlet...the thing is..." Louis hesitated and kept his close proximity so that I was beginning to feel uncomfortable as he continued, "the thing is that I would want to fûck you. I really would. I desperately want to. But...being with you while we both were tortured together. It sort of made me realize that..."

"Realize what?" I prodded him gently, wanting to hear him say it.

"Ah, never mind. Forget it." He shook his head and visibly shut down.

"Why can't you tell me? Please tell me. I want to know." I pleaded.

Louis' eyes moved from my lap up to my face. "I'm not that kind of guy. I don't just...express my feelings to people."

"But..."

Louis cut me off by placing a finger over my lips. His gaze flicked down to my mouth and he softly brushed his finger across my bottom lip. He slowly brought it to his own mouth and I saw a drip of ketchup he had wiped from my lips. He sensually sucked it off while I watched nervously.

Sliding his finger out, he shook his head. "You can't get me to talk about my feelings. It'll never happen, so drop it."

His mouth was suddenly so close to mine that I froze in shock as I stared into his blue green eyes. My heart was beating madly and my hands trembled a little, but I didn't think he would try to take advantage of me. At least I hoped he wouldn't. I thought he might kiss me, but I guess I was wrong because he moved away and stood up.

"Louis. I'm...glad to see you're trying to be better." I murmured.

He stopped and crossed his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes. "I'm not trying to be better. I'm the same old me."

"The old you would have taken me on this couch in a heartbeat. Louis you're—"

"Shut up, Scarlet." He cut me off and turned to walk to the door.

"Doesn't matter what you tell yourself. I can see a difference, Louis!" I called after him. Before he shut the door I murmured, "Thank you."

He paused, looking at me. But he just turned away with a scowl and bumped into Harry. Patting Louis' back, Harry looked at him curiously when he quickly left without a word. Harry looked at me suspiciously.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Nothing bad." I shrugged, continuing to eat my food.

"Okay well...actually I have something to tell you." He shut the door and scratched the back of his neck, a habit he had when he was uncertain or nervous.

Immediately thinking the worst, I tensed up. "What happened?"

"Nothings wrong I just...I've had a change of heart." He said cryptically and came over to stand in front of me.

"About?"

"About the phone call you've been wanting." He answered simply.

I stopped chewing and stared at him. "Are you being serious? You said I had to-"

"Yes, well never mind about that. You deserve it for the way I've treated you lately...er well...forever actually." He interrupted quickly and sat down beside me.

My heart beat sped up as I sat there in shock. I was so happy I could hardly contain my joy. When he sat close to me I didn't think before I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his taller form, hugging him. Snapping into reality, I moved away and grimaced at what I'd just done, but I was too grateful to let it dampen my joy.

"You better be serious. I can call my family?" I asked, trying to distract him from my random moment of consensual physical contact.

Clearly distracted, Harry stared at me for a second before blinking. "Uh, yes. Only for a few minutes though and I'll be listening in to make sure you don't say anything you shouldn't."

"Do I get more than one call? Like my parents and Zayn?" I asked.

"Mm. Just one." He shook his head.

It was better than nothing so I would take it. Then my smile faded slightly when I realized I wouldn't be able to speak to Caspian because Harry would be listening. I would just have to sneakily find out how he was doing through code speech. Hopefully my parents wouldn't screw everything up by saying anything.

"Harry...thank you." I whispered gratefully.

He nodded, looking at his hands and then back up at me. I could sense that he was hiding something because he certainly wasn't acting normal. He placed an arm up onto the back of the sofa and leaned forward, glancing at my lips.

"I'm doing this for you, Scarlet. No strings attached. No ultimatum." He told me softly.

When he reached a hand up and brushed his fingers down my cheek, I moved an inch away and looked down. Harry tipped my face up and gave me a little smile.

"I want you to be happy. You want that don't you?" He asked quietly.

Nodding, I grew nervous when he moved closer again without a thought to my anxiety. "I appreciate you trying. I really do." I said.

When I looked away from his intense stare again, he caught me off guard by holding my jaw still and kissing me straight on the mouth. It was quick and hard and I was about to push him away when a memory flashed across my mind. It was as clear as glass and it took me by surprise which was why I didn't pull away immediately. The kiss made me remember. An image of Harry kissing me the other night on that bed and then harshly yanking down my tights and panties, leaving me naked before him caused me to freeze.

"Wait..." I murmured, staring at him in horror when our mouths separated.

Another image; Harry holding me down roughly and slamming himself into my vulnerable body. I could remember the pain. I could see his face filled with a mixture of both guilt and uncontrolled lust.

"Wait." I repeated with a whimper, my voice squeaking as I scooted away from him.

I remembered myself begging him to make me feel good. I remembered him convincing me it was what I wanted. Harry fûcking Styles drugged me with that drink he wanted me to have and then took advantage of me!

"Wait, wait. Harry!" I screamed, prepared to jump off the couch but he caught me, realization written across his face.

"Scarlet wait—"

"Shut the fûck up!" I yelled, shoving at him in disbelief. "What have you done?! How could you?!"

"Scarlet, please. Let me—"

"No! Don't say anything! You don't need to. I know exactly why you would do that. You're a selfish lying manipulative motherfûcking psychopath who doesn't care about anything but yourself. Harry I don't know why I'm surprised." I spat at him in hate.

He looked worried and taken off guard. "I couldn't help myself..."

I scoffed, so completely horrified that didn't know what to do with myself. "You couldn't help yourself. You self-centered bàstard. You're the most disgusting human being on this earth. I loathe the ground you walk on and I hope one day someone cuts your dîck off if I don't do it first."

Seeing his surprised expression, I turned and walked to the door. After opening it I found him hurrying toward me.

"You can't leave. I'm sorry, Scarlet. I regret doing it okay?" Harry told me adamantly, but I didn't believe it.

"Don't lie to me. You're not sorry at all! I remember how much you enjoyed it! I could see it in your face." I shouted at him, leaving the room with him following.

He took my arm and stopped me. "I do regret it. I'm sorry!"

"Stop lying! You're never sorry for doing that shît to me or you wouldn't do it!" I screamed, trying to yank my arm away.

Suddenly a dark cloud passed over his face and he shoved me backward into the cold hard wall and pinned me there. His eyes shot daggers into me as he breathed hard in frustration.

"You're right. I'm not sorry. I don't regret it. I loved it. The feel of your naked body beneath mine. The feel of your lips on my mouth. You kissed me back that night. You begged me to fûck you, and so I did. It's been fûcking years since I've had you like that and I relished every moment. Are you happy now? I fûcking loved it!" He bellowed in my face.

Shaking in fear, anger, and shock, I struggled in his hold until I freed a hand and slapped him across the face. He stepped back in surprise which gave me just enough time to break from his grip and run down the hall. As I ran, I heard him pound on a door and yell Louis' name before he followed me. I punched the elevator button and thankfully it opened quickly. 

"Don't leave this floor Scarlet. I'm warning you." Harry ordered as he ran towards me.

Slipping inside just before the doors shut, I pushed a random button and then I heard Harry pound on the closed doors. But it was too late. I just wanted to be away from him for a second. I wasn't thinking about his warnings not to leave his sight. I huddled in the corner and held myself, wanting to cry but unable to. It seemed I had cried every tear that I could. I couldn't believe that he ràped me again and I didn't even know until now. This was a new low even for him. They'd never done that before, that I was aware of.

I was too much in shock to cry. This wasn't good at all. I had been doing so well with managing with the old memories of that summer. I had even started to try to trust Harry. Never again would I make that mistake.

I could feel myself begin to panic. I fought it off as hard as I could, but sometimes my body simply took over my mind and ignored the commands I made. It was too much for me to come to terms with. The realization that Harry had ràped me again—he literally took my clothes off and fûcked me on his bed while I was drugged and completely unaware—it made me panic. I crouched in the corner of the elevator and felt my heart rate quicken and my breathing come out in short quick gasps. I couldn't control it.

The door suddenly dinged and opened. Anxiously, I stood up and peeked out into the silent dark corridor, struggling to walk without feeling like I would pass out. I stepped out of the elevator and let the doors close. I didn't like how creepy it was down here. The button I had pushed was the lowest floor possible and it looked like I was in an old insane asylum.

Trying to forget what Harry had done and get my mind off of the memory of his hands touching my body because of how panicked it made me, I moved forward down the hallway. It was cold and I could feel a draft. Fear ran up my spine when I realized the corridor reminded me of Declan's basement; cold, dark, and evil.

I came to a door larger than the rest and knew I shouldn't open it but just go right back upstairs. However I didn't want to face Harry again so I decided to be stupid and make him mad by exploring a creepy looking door that undoubtedly had some sort of horrible something on the other side of it. If I ran into men, I'd just run back to the elevator.

I quietly opened it. Well, tried to do it quietly. The dumb thing squeaked the entire time it moved. I slipped through and was met by another long hallway. Walking down five steps, I looked to my right and froze in horror. I hadn't noticed the hallway was lined with cells.

There was a cell, probably seven by seven foot big. Inside it sat a girl in nothing but tattered underwear, huddled in the corner with chains on her ankles and wrists which were attached to the wall. Her blond hair was tangled and dirty and her skin was smeared with dirt and spattered with bruises. Turning my head to the long line of cells, I realized this was where Harry kept all the girls whom he sold off to heartless men like himself. And only one thought was in my mind.

I had to get them out of here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you love about this book?
> 
> What do you hate about it?
> 
> Any guilty pleasures?


	37. Punishments with Liam

Softly tapping on a bar of the cell, I whispered to the girl, "Hey! How do I get you out of here?"

The blond weakly lifted her head and blinked at me in confusion. "Who are you?"

"There's no time to explain. I want to help you get out of here. I want to save you. Just tell me how to get you out of here." I told her, glancing both ways down the one passageway.

"Keys by the door." She murmured defeatedly, moving her hand in that direction. "Please help me. Please."

Turning and running to the door, I grimaced at how much she sounded like me. I found one key dangling from a nail in the wall and snatched it in my hands. Running to her cell, I fumbled with the lock and to my relief it opened. I hurried inside and knelt beside her frail body to unlock her chains.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Naomi." She replied, watching me shakily unchain her.

"I'm Scarlet." I told her, feeling anxious because it was taking so long to unlock her.

When I did, I helped her stand. She hung on to my arm when I turned to help the next girl. "How did you get in here? How did you know we were here? I don't understand how a girl like you could rescue all of us so easily."

"There isn't time to explain. Help me with the others." I replied shortly and swiftly hurried to the cell across the hall.

Rather than helping since I was the one with the key, Naomi limped along beside me and stood oddly close to me. It was as if she felt safe with me and that made my heart break. She was just like me.

"I'm going to leave. I can't stay here any longer." She whispered. "There are too many girls. It'll take too long."

"If they catch you they'll come here and catch everyone else. Please stay a little longer." I asked.

She nervously hugged herself and looked down at her battered body. She fell silent as I helped the next girl out of the cage. The small Asian girl didn't say a word as she allowed me to bring her out. Naomi followed me again to the next cage. I was feeling more and more nervous because this was taking way longer than I expected.

"I was going to be sold tonight." She murmured emotionlessly.

"Well you won't be now." I pointed out.

"Who are you?" The third girl wanted to know as she walked out of her cell easily. She didn't look injured like the others.

"I'm here to set you all free. Shh." I hurried to the next cell.

Once I had five girls out, I heard the door at the end slam open and I whirled around. The girls all ran in the opposite direction leaving me alone.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing slûts?" A giant man bellowed as he lumbered toward me.

I decided I would try to distract him so the girls could escape. Harry would find me and not let them hurt me, right? Not knowing what to say or do, I just stood there, feeling the eyes of the rest of the imprisoned girls staring at me from their cells. The opposite door slammed, signifying the girls managed to leave the corridor.

"Yo Quintin! We've got trouble." He yelled behind him and a couple other men entered the hallway and came toward me.

"Let these girls go. They're innocent!" I said bravely, backing away.

"Get her." The first man ordered and two of them sprinted toward me.

I turned to run, but they easily caught up to me and grabbed me roughly. I was yanked back and held tightly against one man's chest as I fought against his strength. Perhaps this wasn't the best idea...

"How'd you get out whôre? There's no fûcking way any of you could have gotten out." The man named Quintin wanted to know.

"I was already out." I answered, kicking the shins of the guy holding me.

"You snuck in? You stupid bîtch. Guess we got a free one eh boys? Put her in that cell; she'll be sold with the first group tonight." The giant man announced.

"No! I'm Harry's! You can't do that. I belong to Harry. He'll kill you if you hurt me." I shouted, kicking and punching as best I could.

"Of course you are." One snorted as if I were stupid and opened a cell to throw me in. When I continued fighting, he slapped me hard across my cheek.

"Harry will kill you!" I gasped out, not holding back as I lifted a leg up to kick him in the balls.

But he caught my leg and yanked me toward him before I could and then backhanded me. I stumbled into the bars of the cell and cried out in pain. 

"Anthony!" I heard Harry's deep angry voice ricochet off of the cold walls from the doorway. It was actually quite intimidating the way all of the men fell dead silent immediately at the sound of his voice.

"Uh. Boss?" The guy who's name was probably Anthony spoke up with a nervous look. He was the one who had hit me.

"She's mine. All of you let go of her." He said with authority and stalked toward us swiftly. His long legs carried him quickly down the hall and all of the girls were watching with great interest at the scene unfolding before them.

The men parted like the Red Sea as Harry made a beeline for me. I stepped back in uncertainty, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me away from the cell.

"I can't believe you left when I deliberately told you not to." Harry growled at me.

"Well you honestly couldn't expect me to stay up there with you after what I just remembered you dumbass." I snarled back.

Everyone went silent after my smart remark and I realized nobody probably ever talked like that to Harry. I decided it would be good for the girls to see someone stand up to the leader of all the ràpists. Maybe they would fight for themselves and get out on their own. Harry, however, didn't think it was a good idea in the slightest. He stopped abruptly and turned to me in anger. I was surprised when he backhanded me.

"You worthless piece of shît. It's time you learned some manners once and for all." Harry seethed at me and then turned his attention to the men.

I held my cheek and glared at him, surprised again at his actions and words. I supposed he only did it for show, but I couldn't help but notice how genuinely angry he looked.

"All of you. This is my slave. I expect you to keep your hands off her in the future and if I catch anyone near her...I will personally cut your balls off." Harry declared and then pulled me down the hallway.

When I heard the doors at the other end open, I glanced back. I made Harry stop as I gasped.

"No!" I whimpered, seeing the five girls I helped out of the cells being forced along by burly men. Their hands were tied and they had defeated looks on their faces.

"You tried to help my slaves escape?" Harry asked pointedly, fury lacing his words. "I don't believe this."

The girls saw me being held by Harry and they paused in shock. They must've known who he was because their faces were suddenly terror stricken. I tried to tell them I was sorry but Harry dragged me out.

Once we were in the elevator, I pulled away from him to stand in the corner. "You don't have to be such a dîck. I'm the one who should be mad. Not you."

"You know I only said those things to you because they were watching. And no, you're not the only one who can be mad. You tried to break out those girls. And I told you not to explore. They would have ràped you if I hadn't found you in time." He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I needed some space! What did you expect after I learned you had sex with me without my consent again. And while I was drugged no less, completely unable to say no." I said, hurt.

"I needed to do it." He muttered.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head in disgust. "You'll never change." Suddenly worried, I looked at him. "You used protection right?"

I wasn't prepared to have a second Harry Jr.

"Obviously. Why wouldn't I?" He returned. "Bloody hell I'm so mad at you."

"You're mad at me?" I scoffed in disbelief.

"You disobeyed me and almost got yourself abused by a handful of men! And you're acting like a fûcking brat. I just want to—" He stopped.

"Ràpe me? Betray me? Take advantage of my vulnerability? It's what you do best." I mocked, moving to the door.

The elevator stopped and the doors dinged open. Harry moved to push me out but I hurried out by myself and rushed down the hall toward Louis and Liam.

"And," I turned around, "What about all those innocent girls down there? You need to let them go. It isn't humane. It isn't right. It's sick and disgusting! They're people! Not animals!"

Harry didn't reply.

"You found her." Louis commented, stepping forward. 

He and Liam were watching with great interest at our argument.

"I've had enough of this." Harry growled, snatching me roughly. "Someone take her and teach her a lesson. If I do it, I'll hurt her."

His face was so close to mine when he said those words that I shivered in anxiety. He shoved me away and I ran into Liam.

"Liam. Do something. Make her learn that she needs to fûcking listen to me." Harry snapped and left us, grabbing Louis who looked at me with a frown.

"But Harry!" I called, being tugged by Liam toward his room. "Louis! Don't let him touch me."

Louis frowned and I almost thought he'd take pity on me and stop this, but he let Harry lead him away. I swallowed hard as Liam pulled me into his room. I jerked away.

"Don't hurt me." I said immediately.

"Sit down." He ordered simply, pointing at the bed.

"Sit down?" I inquired suspiciously.

"You have three seconds to obey before I take your clothes off." He said menacingly.

I quickly sat down.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, he looked at me curiously. I could tell he was upset with me. He looked worn out and tired and quite unhappy. After several moments of him just staring at me thinking, he spoke up.

"I miss Niall." He admitted.

I looked at my lap, shrugging. "I suppose I do too."

"Shut up, Scarlet. You know nothing about Niall except that he didn't hurt you." Liam said harshly.

I watched as Liam became agitated and restless. He stepped nearer. "He was our mate. We were all so close and did everything together. We partied, fûcked girls, drank, did all sorts of stupid shît together and now he's gone. He's gone because your stupid ass decided not to obey us. It seems that everything bad that's happening is because of you."

He paused and I could see his eyes begin to water. I didn't say anything because I could tell he was quite vulnerable right now.

Running his hands down his face, Liam shrugged in defeat. "I miss Niall. I'm angry at you because it's your fault. You're ruining everything; Harry's always angry, Louis has turned into this scared little puppy, and Niall is fûcking dead!" He raised his voice suddenly and I moved back.

"It's not my fault." I whispered.

"Oh, it is. It definitely is. We were stuck in damn prison for three years because of you." Liam pointed at me accusingly.

"None of this would be happening if you hadn't ràped me in the first place!" I tried to defend myself and not let him convince me that it was all my fault. It wasn't my fault. It was theirs. All of this bad stuff that was going on was because of their actions and theirs alone. I refused to take the blame for being ràped and trying to protect myself.

"I am so done with you. I just want to punish you for everything you've done to us. You need to be punished anyway, so I guess this works out well doesn't it?" He cocked his head knowingly and moved toward me.

"Wait, Liam. Don't ràpe me." I was suddenly scared as he quickly moved in on me and grabbed me.

I struggled until he squeezed my arms so tightly I cried out.

"I'm not going to ràpe you. I'm going to spank you. Chill out." He told me. "And. If you don't cooperate during this punishment, I will sexually hurt you afterward."

That made me freeze in fear and I allowed him to move me to stand beside him as he sat on the bed. I didn't want to be spanked like a child. I had experienced that humiliation one too many times by Louis. But it was better than sex.

"Isn't spanking sexual? I mean...if you take my pants down..." I commented, embarrassed.

"Lay over my lap." He ignored my question and pulled me over his legs.

"Please don't." I begged, humiliated.

"It's either this or sex. Be thankful I'm giving you a choice." He remarked and yanked down my pants.

"No!" I tried to stop him but my panties went down next. "I hate you, Liam."

"This is for disobeying Harry." Liam said and spanked me once. "Causing so much trouble." He spanked me again.

I flinched, feeling so completely mortified that I couldn't react or even try to get out of it. My bare bottom was pointed up at Liam and all I could do was lay there with a red face and count the spankings as they came down on me.

Liam continued explaining why he was punishing me and I softly whimpered as he went on. He was clearly hurting internally. I hadn't given him much thought lately. He was just in the background, following Harry's commands and trailing along behind like a dog. But he was actually hurting and unhappy.

When Liam had spanked me the last time—I counted forty-eight—he pushed me off him and pointed at the door. "Go to Harry and don't leave this floor."

I quickly pulled my pants up in embarrassment and winced as the fabric brushed against my stinging backside. It hadn't fully registered that he'd just spanked me. I looked at the floor and went to the door. Because of everything he'd done to me I couldn't feel sorry for him even though he looked utterly defeated as I left him alone in his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments recently. I deeply appreciate them after I lost all of the thousands of comments on the original book on Wattpad. ❤


	38. Phone Call

I was tired of men thinking they could use my body for their pleasure, whenever they wanted, without any consideration for me. I was so indescribably sick of it.

Today, I was on the couch in Harry's room, simply lying there thinking about everything that had happened while he slept on the bed. The past several nights I'd refused to sleep with him. He didn't give in until I got Louis to help me convince him to let me sleep on the couch without him.

What Harry did that night...it had hardened me significantly. I hadn't cried when I found out. My eyes had remained dry ever since and my face was frozen in an emotionless gaze. They couldn't get me to talk much. I was simply sitting and staring most of the time these days.

It certainly hadn't helped matters when Harry told me the consequences to trying to help his girls to escape. He told me that the moment we left the corridor of cells, the guards had punished the girls severely. So severely that their selling date had to be moved forward because his "customers" wouldn't want to buy a sex slave who looked close to death. I was entirely responsible for their pain and it made me close up even more. Poor Naomi. My only intention was to save them from a fate I couldn't escape from myself, but I only made things worse.

The day after Harry took advantage of me I had even considered taking my life. That's how close to the line he had pushed me. But I was still here, alive; only because of Caspian.

Louis was right. Harry wasn't making any effort to find Declan. He hadn't even left this floor for two days. The bàstard. He just wanted me to be forced to stay here. If it weren't for Declan being out there somewhere, I'd have disappeared long ago.

Harry suddenly sat up, waking from his nap. "You're still sitting there?"

Rolling my eyes, I didn't respond.

He sighed and ignored my rudeness. "You could always call your family."

Glancing up, I perked up slightly. "It's about time."

He came over and sat down, holding his phone. "You only have a few minutes and you only get one call."

"Why so restrictive?" I pouted.

"Deal with it." He glared at me and typed in my parent's phone number.

"What if I wanted to call Zayn?"

"You said before you wanted your family." He said pressing send.

I grabbed it and held it to my ear. Harry snatched it back and put it on speaker. Scowling, I tried to take it but he held it away out of reach.

"Either it's on speaker or I hang up." He told me sternly.

"Dumbàss." I growled, sitting back.

"Hello? Who is this?" I heard my dad answer and I nearly fainted at the sound of his voice.

Feeling my chest lurch, I leaned forward and stared at the phone. "Dad?" I could only get one word out because my voice got caught in my throat.

"What? Did you say dad? Scarlet? Is that you?" His voice faltered.

"Yes!" I squeaked, reaching for the phone but Harry continued to hold it so I slapped him. "Dad. I'm alive and...safe. I love you so much. Are you all safe? Please tell me you're all safe."

I dreaded learning what was going on there. I had been imagining all kinds of horrible situations that might've happened.

Dad's voice was filled with emotion as he called. "Honey! Come here! Scarlet's on the phone! Scarlet baby where are you? What happened? It's been months."

"I...I can't tell you where I am, dad." I said sadly.

"Why not? Are you safe? Have you escaped?" He asked worriedly and I heard my mom crying loudly in the background.

"I'm..." I glanced at Harry and he shook his head. "Harry's got me..."

"What?!" He raised his voice. "Where is he keeping you? You have to tell me. I'll find you, kill him, and bring you home."

"Dad...it's not that simple." I whispered. "I don't know where I am. And I can't leave because there's someone out there who wants to hurt me to hurt Harry. I can't go until that man is killed."

"What? Just tell me where you are. I'll protect you with my life." He ordered.

"Scarlet?!" My mom cried into the phone, seeming to have gained control of her frantic sobbing. "My baby!"

"Mom. Don't worry, I'm fine." I told her reassuringly, trying not to think about the scars scattering my body and the fact that Harry ràped me the other night. I just didn't want them to worry more than they already were. They'd find out soon enough.

"You said you're with Harry." Dad said seriously. "Has he hurt you?"

Harry gripped my arm in warning, obviously not wanting me to tell them. I ripped my arm away and said quietly, "I'm fine dad."

"You didn't answer me." Dad pointed out.

"How is Zayn?" I changed the subject.

"Scarlet..." He sighed, but let it drop. "He's alright. Hasn't stopped looking for you. Sometimes he drops by to see—"

"Hey dad! How is Titus doing?" I said extremely loudly in my fear that he was about to say Caspian.

"Oh, he's fine too. He misses you just as much as little—"

"Actually dad I was wanting to know more about Zayn." I interrupted again, terrified that he was going to give everything away. "And just so you know, Harry is listening."

"What?" He barked. "He's listening? Is he there with you? Are you safe?"

"I'm fine dad. Just tell me about Zayn." I said.

"Styles if you're listening, know that when I find you, I will crack your spine and throw you off a building for what you've done to my daughter." My dad growled.

Harry scowled and held the phone close to his mouth. "Mr. O'Hara, I'd like to remind you that I have your daughter in my possession. I'll gladly show you how much power I have over her if you threaten me again."

Shocked, I tried to get the phone away again but he pushed me back.

"I can't believe we had lunch with that psychopath and didn't see it!" My mom yelled. "We just let him waltz away with our Scarlet. How didn't I see it?"

"If you lay a hand on her I swear..." My dad started.

"Choose your words carefully. I could easily pin her down right here on this couch like I've done so many times before if you don't shut up now." Harry threatened menacingly.

I turned away in shame and felt like crying. "Please Harry. Just let me talk to them."

"Whatever." He went silent.

"What's going on?" I heard a male voice in the background.

"Zayn! Scarlet's on the phone!" My mom cried and my stomach did a somersault. "Scarlet, Zayn just walked in."

"Time's up." Harry said, moving to hang up.

"No! Harry please let me talk to him. I'm begging you." I pleaded, clutching his arms. “You owe me.”

Seeing my face, which was probably desperate, he shrugged in annoyance and reluctantly let me.

"Love? Are you hurt?" Zayn spoke into the phone.

I wanted to die I was so relieved to hear him speak to me. "I miss you."

"Bloody hell I've been slowly going insane wondering what happened to you." He whispered emotionally.

"Keep my family safe. There's a dangerous man out there trying to kill me and Harry's gang." I told him.

"What? Who?" He asked.

"Louis' dad. He's not dead I guess." I shrugged, not wanting to talk about him.

"The fûck? Are you sure? Have you seen him? Declan Henrik?" Zayn asked.

"Um...yeah I've seen him." I grimaced, flashes of being beaten and whipped without mercy running through my mind. I squirmed in my seat anxiously as Harry watched me.

"I'll keep everyone safe I promise. Please tell me you're okay." He requested.

"I'm...as okay as I can be in this situation." I murmured sadly.

"Remember love. Always remember to be strong. I know you can survive anything. You're the strongest woman I've ever met in the whole damn world." Zayn encouraged me.

"I love you." My voice cracked and I covered my eyes, trying to envision his face. To my horror, his face was slipping from my mind.

"I love you too. I'll find you soon and save you." He promised.

"Okay time's officially up. Say goodbye." Harry sighed in boredom and sat up.

"Harry you fûcking cûnt. If you touch her I swear I'll stab you in your—" Zayn's threat was cut short when Harry hung up and stood to his feet.

He reached down and brushed his fingers down my hair. "I touched you, oops."

"You're an àsshole. You're not even trying anymore." I shook my head and sat back against the couch.

"You hate my guts and won't give me a chance. What am I supposed to do?" Harry complained and walked to the door.

"I would give you a chance if you quit being a dumb fûcker who ràpes innocent girls for the fun of it." I stated bluntly.

He huffed in frustration. "I doubt you're capable of giving me a chance anymore. You've changed so much...and I know it's because of me."

Falling quiet again, I went back to staring out the window and pretending I wasn't here. I tried to focus on the conversation I just had with my loved ones, but Harry wouldn't let me.

"Scarlet." He spoke up gently, coming back over to me. "I just...don't know what to do anymore."

Rather than responding, I simply shifted my position.

"Before this, my entire life revolved around sex and the lads. Now...I haven't had sex in three years besides the other night. I only jack off once in a while when I desperately want you. Sex isn't appealing unless it's with you and only you. Other women just don't turn me on."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, wanting him to get to the point so I could go back to mindlessly staring out the window at the snow.

He huffed and crossed his arms. "All I'm saying is...I don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of my life if you're not in it."

"I can't be in it, Harry. I have a different life, a fiancé, a...family." I told him.

"You're not going to marry Zayn." He scoffed like it was the most preposterous notion in the world.

"I love him. He cares about me and will do anything it takes to keep me safe and happy, just as I would for him." I said confidently.

Harry just shook his head and ruffled his curls. "He never told you about his life with us did he? He was just like us, Scarlet."

"He's changed." I argued.

"So why can't you believe that I can change too?!" He raised his voice in frustration.

"I...I don't know. You say you want to, but your actions say differently." I explained. "Please Harry...leave me alone. I just want to be alone."

I held no emotion in my voice as I spoke. I felt so beaten that I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to truly live again. Depression was something I hated with a burning passion, but sometimes there was just no fighting it. It clawed its way through my entire body until my mind was consumed by it.

"I've destroyed you." Harry murmured after a while.

I simply rested my head on the back of the couch and watched the snowflakes fall. 

I heard Harry's footsteps move toward the door. He sighed and then murmured sadly, "I miss the old you."


	39. What Zayn Did

While the boys sat on Harry's bed having some kind of meeting with their laptops open, I sat on the couch away from them. They'd been talking about Declan and plans to find him, but Harry was clearly not interested. Louis continued to attempt to get him on track, but Harry kept talking to me even though I wouldn't respond.

"Fûcking hell, Harry. Get your stupid ass out of the clouds and focus on this will you?" Louis burst out finally in annoyance.

"I am focused." Harry rolled his eyes and glanced over at me.

"You're not focused at all. You're obviously looking at Scarlet and teasing her. Will you at least try to fûcking pretend to be interested in finding this son of a bîtch?" Louis snapped.

Liam raised an eyebrow and watched Harry become miffed.

"I am interested." Harry defended himself.

Exasperated, Louis sighed and slammed his laptop shut. "You moron. You aren't trying because you want to keep Scarlet. Isn't that right? You don't care about finding him simply because you want her around so you can fûck her and play with her until you're tired of her."

"That's not true!" Harry shot back, all of his attention suddenly shifting to Louis.

"It is though, isn't it? If you cared about me at all you'd actually be trying." Louis stood up.

"What the fûck does that mean? Of course I care about you." Harry seethed.

"Harry. I think you've been so focused on your little sex doll that you've forgotten the fact that Declan is my adopted father and he's out to kill all of us. He fûcking tortured me. I don't want him on the streets anymore. I want to be able to walk around without worrying that he'll materialize and shoot me. But you don't care do you? My guess is that you wouldn't even notice if Declan killed both Liam and I. Because at least you'd have her, isn't that right?" Louis burst out angrily.

Harry's face darkened and he got off the bed to stand in front of Louis. Being slightly taller than Louis, he could look down on him. Liam glanced at them with great interest while I remained silent in my seat. Harry's response surprised me.

"Lou...you're right." Harry's shoulders slumped. "Not about me not caring, I do care. But the fact that I haven't been making any effort to find Declan...that's true. I just...I don't want to have to let her go."

Louis looked passed him at me and I stared at my lap. "She...she needs to be let go."

"But you always enjoyed fûcking her. She was your favorite girl." Harry answered.

Louis shifted uncomfortably. "Things change when you're tortured with someone."

Harry huffed. "Maybe so. Lads...let's finish this conversation outside."

The three of them left the room and closed the door. I wondered what they were talking about. After a long time, maybe an hour, they came back in and sat back on the bed. They didn't let on any sign of what they talked about, but they seemed less tense and more focused on their work. I was left alone thankfully and they even began to joke with one another like old times. I was dozing off when Zayn's name caught my attention.

"Hey, Zayn's in this video." Liam commented and the other two crowded around to see.

"I remember that night." Harry nodded.

Sitting up, I couldn't help but hear what the video was playing.

"Which one do you want, Malik?" Harry's younger voice asked in the video.

"The blond. I been wanting to pound her all day. I mean look at those tits." Zayn responded crudely and I cringed in horror.

"Hey, but I want her. You can have that one." Louis butted in.

"She's fat." Zayn replied.

"Could you turn that off?" I requested, plugging my ears but I could still hear it.

"She's not fat. There's nothing wrong with a little thicker thighs. How bout it Niall?" Harry's disgusting voice broke through my hands.

"Sure. Hand her over. I happen to prefer a little more skin for my hands to hold." Niall's Irish accent said brightly.

The boys on the bed in front of me all visibly winced at the sound of Niall's voice, remembering their dead friend.

I could hear girls' whimpering and groaning in the video as if they were gagged.

"Please turn it off!" I raised my voice.

"Looks like the blond is another fighter. Be sure to give her a good beating first so she'll comply." Harry said.

I heard an evil chuckled, but it took a moment before I realized that it was Zayn's laugh.

"Come on slût. You're going to be so sore when I'm done with you." Zayn said and I had never heard him speak like that in my life.

I jumped from my spot on the couch and leaped onto the bed, grabbing the laptop and hurling it onto the floor. "I said fûcking turn it off àssholes!"

They all stared at the broken laptop and then up at me. Harry gripped my arm and yanked me toward him.

"And when did I ever take orders from you?" He growled.

How could he claim to care for me while at the same time speak to me like this? Treat me like this? Not have any spec of respect for me? "I hate you."

Harry's eye twitched. "Zayn is a bad guy, Scarlet. I was only trying to show you that."

"He...used to be like that. He's never treated me like that. I'm going to marry him." I stuttered, holding up my ring which was surprisingly still on my finger after Declan's.

"He's a great actor, love. He's manipulative, excellent at making women fall for him. That's what he's always done; lure women in with his pretty face and convincing words and then he'd bring them to us so we could all share her and have some fun. Who knows how long it will be before he gets tired of waiting around and decides to fûck you. It's bound to happen." Harry told me seriously.

"It's not happening. He hasn't shown any sign of his old life for the entire three years we've been together." I stated firmly and tried yanking my arm away.

"Face it." Liam added. "Zayn's a master at seducing women. He's sweet and charming and always says the right thing. But you don't know what's in his mind, Scarlet. He's a nasty ràpist like all of us with inescapable desires to fûck."

"Stop it." I pleaded, breaking away but only ending up being trapped at the head of the bed when the three of them cornered me there. I gave Louis a pleading look but he remained emotionless.

"If you won't believe us then we'll have to show you." Harry told me.

I kicked at him, but he caught my leg and sat on both of them so I'd stop. I crossed my arms and looked away because I couldn't handle all three of them ganging up on me like this. "Please don't."

"Just watch a couple videos, alright? You ought to know who you're about to marry." Harry said, and I could tell he was being genuine, but I didn't want to watch them.

"I'm begging you. Don't make me watch them." I implored. "You've hurt me too much already."

"I'm trying to help you. Not hurt you." Harry said and turned the tv on with his phone.

"No don't. Harry please. I trust him! He would never hurt me." I begged, struggling while Harry handed his phone to Liam to find a video probably.

"Scarlet. I didn't want to have to threaten you, but if you don't sit there and watch these, you'll be punished." Harry said.

"Go ahead. I don't want to watch this shît!" I shot back.

"I will undress you and fûck your behind right here with them watching. Now stop moving and sit still." Harry threatened and I almost vomited.

"I hate you!" I screamed and stopped struggling, covering my face with my hands.

"Harry, she's never going to like you if you say stuff like that." Louis pointed out.

Harry sighed and got off me to sit beside me. "Uncover your eyes and watch. You know what will happen if you don't."

"I'm not your slave." I whispered in defeat, curling into a ball and hugging my knees.

Harry settled beside me with Liam on my left and Louis next to Harry. The first video appeared on the television and I prematurely grimaced. On the tv, one of them was filming while I saw several forms in a darkened room moving on a large bed. It was difficult to see because of the darkness, but I could make out Zayn and Louis and two girls.

I trembled and Harry put a comforting hand on my knee, but I pushed it off.

I saw Louis had his girl naked and on all fours while he pushed himself into her and groaned overly loudly. Zayn had his naked girl pinned beneath him and was pounding her hard. She was clearly unwilling and was screaming and crying, fighting against him even though it was futile.

My eyes stung and I looked away in horror. "Please don't make me watch this!"

"Look at the television Scarlet." Harry ordered, turning my face toward it.

Zayn was clearly having a great time and I couldn't stand to see it. I knew he had taken part in their activities, but it had never seemed real until this moment when I was actually witnessing him doing it. I was horrified.

Zayn slapped her face repeatedly and I moved to cover my eyes but Harry forced me to watch. "Please I'm begging you! Don't make me watch it. I can't. I can't see him like that."

"It's who he is Scarlet." Harry told me, changing the video.

A tear fell when I saw Zayn and Harry both on a girl at the same time. Or should I say in. It was like how Louis and Harry punished me in the isolation cabin that summer. Harry was underneath and Zayn was behind her, both being careless and vicious. Seeing her pain and terror caused me to panic because I saw myself.

Jolting forward, I turned toward the boys and bent over as if bowing to them and I hid my face with my hands. "Please don't make me watch anymore. I can't bear it."

"I think you've made your point Haz." Louis murmured.

"No. One more and then that'll be all." Harry decided and I wanted to punch him because of his pride.

He grabbed me and turned me around, leaning me against his chest and holding my face toward the tv. I closed my eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice, but Liam did.

"Open your eyes, Scarlet." Liam said and I almost kicked him.

The scene changed and this time a girl was standing naked and shivering as she covered herself in shame. She was alone in the frame, but I could hear the boys talking in the background.

"Get on the bed." I heard Zayn say.

She hung her head and obeyed, but was obviously scared. I wondered what they had done to make her so obedient.

"Lie on your back." Zayn continued as he came into view and stood by the bed.

She did so and looked up at him.

"Spread your legs." He demanded and took off his shirt.

She whimpered but obeyed.

Zayn then climbed over her and slapped her cheek. I flinched and Harry's hold on me tightened. Zayn pushed his pants down and I looked away because I didn't want to see that part him naked... I never had before. In the other videos it had been hidden from view.

"Lou come help me hold her down. If she begs or cries, slap her for me." Zayn looked over and I saw Louis appear and climb onto the bed above her to hold her arms.

"Harry...please." I pleaded, squirming in his lap.

Just as Zayn began with a pleased grunt, Harry finally turned it off. I jerked out of his hold and tumbled off the bed. Tears were streaked down my cheeks and I was completely horrified. I didn't want to feel this horror, this fear, this pain any longer. I had had enough of it. I scrambled up and went back to the couch, sloppily standing up on it and unlocking the window.

I pulled it open and punched the screen out. As I moved forward out the window, I heard the boys shouting and scrambling. I was halfway out the window, staring at the snowy street several floors below when I felt hands grabbing the waist of my jeans and pulling me back up.

Three pairs of hands were on me, yanking me back inside and onto the floor. The window was slammed shut and they were all yelling at once. I was so broken that I could hardly hear them.

I never wanted to see those videos of Zayn. He was my light, my joy; one of the few things in my life that could make me indescribably happy and content and they had to take that away from me. I couldn't let them take him away from me...but how could I ignore what I just saw?

"Scarlet what the actual hell?!" Harry declared, his face as white as the snow outside.

Louis was also pale and angry. Liam didn't seem surprised, but he was upset.

"Don't do that, Scarlet." Louis commanded. "Don't try to pull some shît like that again. I know Harry can be an àsshole, but there's no reason to go and try to—"

"Just leave me alone!" I shrieked, covering my ears. "Get the fûck away from me and give me some space! I'm not a damn animal!"

I felt sick. I felt filthy. I felt worthless and unloved, like nobody in the entire world cared about me even though that wasn't true. My skin was burning and my mind was spinning. I felt so hot and panicked that I nearly passed out. I was in love with Zayn and that's why seeing those videos broke my heart.

Jumping to the window was a moment of weakness I knew. But at that moment the only thought in my head was myself and how helpless I was. When you are treated like a worthless piece of trash for long enough with no outsider words of love, you start to believe the lies that are fed to you.

I was so consumed by those lies Harry had been feeding me that my mind overdosed, causing me to pass out.


	40. Don't Let Me Go

I jolted awake once again after waking from a bad dream. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I lifted my head up to see Louis lying beside me looking worried. Slowly I realized I was in his room and we were alone in his bed.

"You were whimpering in your sleep." Louis murmured.

"I... I dreamed about Zayn." I said quietly, resting my head back on the pillow and curling my arms close to my chest.

Louis watched me cautiously, as if I would break into a million pieces if he made a wrong move. And that reminded me of what had happened. I remembered watching Zayn assault those innocent girls and he enjoyed it. I remembered trying to jump out the window afterward...

Looking up at Louis, I frowned as I felt indescribably disappointed in myself. "I tried to jump out the window..."

"But we stopped you." He replied.

"But...I tried to die." My voice got caught in my throat.

"We didn't let you. You're fine." Louis assured me.

"I...please don't let me do that ever again. I can't die." I told him, raising myself up to lean on my elbow. "I can't."

"I'll make sure you don't. Harry was just...trying to show you what you wouldn't admit. He wanted you to accept the truth about Zayn. He didn't mean to push you that far. I know that doesn't excuse his behavior, but he can't function like a normal person." Louis said in defense of his best friend.

"That was a horrible way to try to get me to admit something." I scowled angrily. "To try to manipulate me into doubting my fiancé.” 

"He's jealous. He desperately wants you to love him back and the way he sees it, he and Zayn are no different." Louis tried to explain.

"They are different. Zayn is nothing like Harry anymore." I said quickly, trying to forget the images I saw. But they wouldn't go away.

"Just...don't try to kill yourself okay Scarlet? I don't want you to die." Louis spoke softly.

I glanced at him, thinking about how much I didn't recognize this man lying beside me. "Why do you care? Aren't I just another whôre?"

Clenching his jaw, Louis glared at me. "I don't care. I'm just used to having you around. And killing yourself is not the answer. Don't do that again."

"Last time I tried to you pretended it didn't happen. You even punished me because you claimed I had lied about it to get out of being used by you." I reminded him, thinking of the cliff at Camp Harmony.

"Don't remind me of the past. I'm talking about what you did last night. And I don't want you to do it again. You need to stay alive." Louis said firmly and I could see him putting up walls.

Lying down again, I blinked tears away. "Why can't anything ever go right for me? Why can't something good happen so I won't feel so horrible all of the time? I feel like dying every day, but I can't. And there's no one to tell me to never give up, to keep fighting, to stay strong. All I have are you three telling me how worthless I am and how much you want to fûck me."

Louis sighed and stared down at me. "I understand where you're at."

Avoiding his eyes, I frowned and tightened my fists around the blankets.

"I understand because I've been in your position before. I wanted to die." Louis admitted quietly and it looked as though it was the hardest thing for him to openly tell me.

Not saying anything, I watched him curiously as his face fell in sadness.

"I was there too, that close to death. But Harry saved me. If it weren't for Harry, I'd be dead right now." He told me hesitantly.

"Why did you try?" I asked, already guessing the answer.

"Fûcking Declan and his bîtch ass wife. You already know how they treat people. I didn't want anymore of it." Louis seethed, remembering the evil man who was still out there.

"If you've experienced all of that first hand and know exactly how completely terrible it is, then why would you do it to me?" I wanted to know.

Louis looked away, shaking his head. "I'm fûcked up, Scarlet. They fûcked me up."

"But why do to me what they did to you? I don't understand!" I desperately wanted answers.

"I'm completely fûcked up! That's the only answer I've got! Now drop it." He snapped. When I fell silent, he moved closer to me. "Just...please don't do that again."

"I want to. I don't want to be alive if this is how I have to live." I gestured around us miserably.

"Scarlet..." Louis sighed, thinking for a moment before continuing. "Think of something to live for. Think of something that couldn't go on without you. And whenever you're feeling like...ending it all, just think of that one thing."

I instantly thought of Caspian. My eyes watered as I realized I almost left him motherless. I won't ever do that again, I thought. How selfish was I to only think of myself.

"Got something?" Louis asked.

"Yes." I whispered, reaching my hand out and touching his knee.

Louis glanced down confused at my hand, but I simply frowned and traced the wrinkles in his sweats.

"I just want to be held by someone who doesn't want to hurt me or use me." I said softly.

Shifting around, Louis laid on his side and put an arm around my body. For one brief moment I remembered being imprisoned with him and clinging to each other for safety and comfort. Louis laid there with me and held me as I tried to relax and empty my mind. And for that brief moment I felt safe in someone's arms, even if it was Louis'.

But then that moment ended. Louis cleared his throat and sat up again, looking down at me guiltily. "I can't do that..."

His hand fell to his crotch as if to hide something and I realized why he moved away. He had grown a boner.

My face fell and he shrugged.

"Sorry Scar. I can't help it when you turn me on. Being close to you while you're in my bed...and your body is so warm and small." His blue eyes bore into me as his voice trailed off longingly so I had to look away.

"Whatever. I shouldn't fool myself into believing that you're changing." I murmured sadly.

His response was interrupted when the door opened.

Harry walked in and I lay down and covered my head with the covers, not wanting to see him.

"Lou, could I have a moment with her?" Harry spoke softly.

"No, Louis stay." I murmured under the covers.

Hearing Louis sigh and shift off the bed, I curled into a defeated ball. His voice came from over by the door next. "Don't be an ass, Harry."

Then the door closed and there was silence for a couple minutes. I almost thought he left me alone, but that hope was shattered when he suddenly appeared beside the bed and got onto it. I didn't move or react, I simply laid there hidden under the blankets.

"Scarlet?" Harry's voice was uncharacteristically small and hesitant.

When I refused to respond, he went on. "I am upset that you would try to end your life because of me...again." Still I remained silent and unmoving. "I wish I didn't repulse you so much, but I suppose I can see why I do."

He didn't simply repulse me, he made me sick to my stomach. I hated him.

"I know I pushed you to it. When I saw you halfway out the window so close to falling out on purpose, it reminded me of last time and I felt...sorry. All I want is for you to accept me, but you obviously won't." He explained.

"Apologize." I murmured quietly.

"What?" He asked.

Pulling the covers off of my head, I looked him in the eye. "I said: apologize."

"I...did." Harry glanced to the side.

I cut him off quickly. "No, you didn't. You don't want to say you're sorry because you're just too damn prideful. Apologize to me for being such an àsshole and driving me to practically death. You've done nothing but ruin me since you first sought me out at camp. You don't care about me at all. So apologize for once for being such a motherfûcking son of a bîtch."

Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise at my outburst. I only ever cuss when I'm extremely riled up about something. He fiddled with the sheets with his long fingers. "I've told you sorry before."

"Just fûcking say it, Harry!" I jumped up and screamed in his face.

His lips parted as he stared at me. I probably looked like a maniac with tangled hair and dark circles under my eyes. But he didn't look at me in disgust. "Scarlet...I'm sorry."

Eyes watering, I turned away and laid back down facing the other wall. "You've started to care less and less. A few times I thought perhaps you might've felt something, but you've gotten worse and worse. You're cruel, hard-hearted, and selfish beyond belief. Get out and leave me alone."

Harry moved around, but didn't get off the bed. "I will make it up to you, Scarlet. You will forgive me."

"Never." I spat out, despising his existence.

"I promise I will try to be less of an àsshole to you. Okay?" He said softly.

What? It annoyed me how he just kept going back and forth. One minute he was assaulting me and the next he was acting like he would do anything to make sure I was okay. It was dizzying.

"Did you hear me? I will try to be less of an àsshole." Harry repeated.

"I heard you, but Harry. Don't just try. Actually do it." I told him.

"I will. I promise. Scarlet just you wait, I will make it up to you." Harry said confidently and the bed dipped.

I felt his wet lips on my cheek and I jerked away, turning to glare at him. "What the hell Harry?"

"I..." He looked at me longingly.

"Get away from me." I ordered.

Nodding sadly, he got off the bed and went to the door. "Just you wait."

He opened the door and he and Louis began whispering outside to each other before they shut me in here alone. At last I was left in peace and curled up on the spacious bed, cuddling the silky sheets.

It was some time later when the light outside had disappeared and I was on the verge of sleep that the door opened again. I was hungry, but I didn't want to talk to them so I had just stayed in Louis' room all day and pretended like my stomach wasn't growling for nourishment.

Harry peeked in at me with a scarf around his neck and a beanie on his head. "Scarlet? You awake?"

"Unfortunately." I responded tiredly.

"Good." He ducked back out quickly, but then poked his head back in. "Just know that this was all me. Well...fine Louis. It was Louis too."

I heard Louis protesting in the hallway as Harry disappeared again to reassure him. I was about to simply close my eyes and try to sleep when they pushed the door open all the way and I did a double take.

Bundled from head to toe and covered in snow, was Zayn.

He was staring at me in worry and concern while I sat up, expecting myself to wake up from a dream. My heart froze and I felt utter shock. When nothing disappeared, I leaped from the bed and ran to him throwing my arms around him and breaking into sobs.

I couldn't even say anything I was so overwhelmed with joy. I hadn't felt joy like this in who knew how long. Zayn wrapped me in his embrace and let me cry for a second. He was cold from being outside and the snow on his coat melted once it touched my skin.

"Don't let me go. Don't ever let me go." I managed to choke out, clinging to him.

"Never. I've finally found you. I won't let you out of my sight, love." He murmured, stroking the back of my head with his chilled hand.

"I need you. I need you so bad!" I cried, gazing up into his beautiful face.

He had let his beard grow and his eyes held pure exhaustion, but when he looked down at me, he was overcome with joy at seeing me too.

"And I'm right here. You're not alone anymore." Zayn whispered, loosening his hold.

"Don't let go." I begged, clutching him tightly. He was holding me, and he cared about me. Words could not describe the sheer joy surging through my body in that moment.


	41. Zayn

"How are you here?" I asked, gazing at Zayn's face as he held onto me.

"Harry called me. Told me that he would tell me where to find you if I didn't tell anyone. I thought it was a trap, but I took my chances. I can't tell you how I've missed you." Zayn replied, his hand sliding to rest against my cheek.

I remembered all the good times we had over the past three years, even amidst the hard stuff I was going through. He was always there, always helping me along and encouraging me. He would treat Caspian like he was the most precious thing in the world. Suddenly I realized I could ask about Caspian now, but I had to wait until the boys weren't listening. My heart leaped for joy in anticipation.

"Are you okay? Have you been hurt?" Zayn wanted to know, his worried eyes darting around my face and settling on the small scar on my temple. "What happened here?"

"I hit my head." I told him vaguely, not exactly ready to dive right into the story of my experience being beaten and tortured.

"Have they been starving you? You're much smaller than before." Zayn asked in concern, his hands on my waist.

Thinking of the basement and how I had starved down there, I shook my head. This was still the effects of Declan. I didn't want to think about it, but everything seemed to remind me of what happened.

"I'm fine, just stressed. It's hard to eat in a situation like this." I said, glancing to the side at the three boys standing in the hall.

Liam was observing with a glare while Louis stood with his hands in his pockets. Harry was watching intently as if he wanted to rip Zayn away from me.

"You brought him here?" I asked.

Harry shrugged. "I was worried about you. You needed something I couldn't give you."

I doubted Harry did this with selfless ambitions. He must have had some ulterior motive swirling through his scheming selfish mind. Apparently, Zayn thought the same thing.

"Bullshît." Zayn growled, pulling me closer to him. "I don't know why you called me, but I'm glad you did. I'm taking her home."

"You can't do that." Louis spoke up quickly.

"She doesn't belong here with you. She's her own person not an object for you to possess and keep imprisoned. Don't try to stop me." Zayn stated sternly.

"Zayn, shut the fûck up. Scarlet, you know you can't leave. He's still out there." Louis stepped forward.

"I say just let them leave. They've caused us enough trouble to last a lifetime." Liam suggested.

"If you step out of this building, you are in immediate danger. Do you want what Declan did to you to happen again?" Harry said to me.

Leaning my head against Zayn's chest, I sighed in defeat. "Zayn, I can't leave."

"Declan? You mentioned something about Louis’ dad on the phone, but I didn't understand. What's going on?" Zayn sounded frustrated.

"It's a long story which I'll tell you later. But you have to listen to me now. I can't leave or something bad will happen to me." I told him.

"I think they've brainwashed you." Zayn noted, his hand tightening around my waist.

Feeling his hand wrap around me as he pulled me in, I suddenly had a flashback of those videos of him; of him viciously taking a girl against her will and enjoying it. The twisted pleasure in his dark features, the way he overpowered them so easily, the bond between him and the other boys...all of it made me freeze. Shivers raced down my spine as I inched away, carefully taking his arm and removing it from around me. I hated how they had made me feel.

"They haven't brainwashed me, I can assure you. I know what I'm talking about, I would be in grave danger if I leave." I said quietly, keeping a few inches of space between us.

Not noticing what I did, Zayn crossed his arms and scowled at the boys. "I think you're all just messing with her head so she'll stay with you."

"If all we wanted was for her to stay here with us, we would just force her to stay even if it meant locking her up. But as you can see, she wants to stay." Harry pointed out.

Rolling my eyes, I put a hand on the door and gave them a look. "Can I have a minute alone with him?"

Harry seemed concerned and untrusting, but he threw a hand up. "Fine. But remember what I showed you."

Angry, I tried not to think of the videos, but it was difficult. Learning something so horrific about someone I've trusted and cared about for so long wasn't easy to accept. I guess I knew he was like that at the back of my mind, but it hadn't seemed real until he showed the videos. I shut the door and turned to Zayn, glad we were finally alone. He was watching me unwaveringly.

Lifting my hand to brush my hair behind my ear, I cleared my throat. "Before you interrogate me on everything that's happened, I just wanted to tell you how much I've missed you."

His expression turned from frustrated to fond as he stepped closer again. "I can't tell you how badly I've missed you too, Scarlet. Every night has been spent worried sick about what was happening to you."

Discretely dodging his embrace, I walked over to the couch and sat down. He followed me as I looked up at him. "I still can't believe you're here. I guess Harry finally realized I needed someone around who cares about me."

"I doubt that. He does everything out of selfishness." Zayn shook his head dismissively.

I desperately wanted him to simply hold me and make me feel safe. But how could I after learning what he's done? In retrospect, he was just like Harry.

"I've been dying to know." I suddenly blurted, anxiously looking toward the door. "About...Caspian."

I mouthed the word silently and he nodded in understanding.

"I don't want them to ever know. But, tell me if he's alright." I said barely above a whisper.

Zayn also lowered his voice, reaching out and holding my hand. His were so cold from being outside and it made me shiver. "He's fine, Scarlet. I left him with your parents because I thought you'd feel better if he were with someone who knew what to do with a child. I...am definitely not an expert yet. You were always the one mostly taking care of him."

Relief flooded through me and I momentarily closed my eyes. "I'm so glad. Has he missed me?"

"He asks for you all the time. Whenever I stop by he looks around for you and then gets upset that you're not with me." Zayn told me gently.

My heart breaking, I stared off into space. "I miss him so much I can't even-"

"You'll see him again. He's very well taken care of. Your parents adore him as well as Titus." He assured me and squeezed my hand.

Not sensing any maliciousness in him whatsoever, I longed to simply be held by him. But how could I pretend that he didn't do all those horrible things before? Could I feel like this about Harry if he stopped ràping girls? Certainly not. So why was I so in love with Zayn?

He was looking around the room, his caramel eyes settling on Louis' massive bed. "Have they..."

"Once." I answered sadly. "Only once."

"Truthfully? After all this time?" He seemed doubtful.

"I haven't been with them the entire time." I said.

"I don't understand." He frowned.

Taking a deep breath, I knew I had to tell him about Declan so he'd understand why I had to stay. So I did. I told him the story beginning with when the boys first kidnapped me on my way to work. I explained to him how the boys didn't hurt me much at first other than Louis. And when I came to the part where Zayn almost saved me, his expression grew horrified when he learned that Louis' adoptive father was the one to abduct me, not Harry.

I watered down the almost two months of torture I endured with Louis because I couldn't talk about it. He didn't need to know how badly I was beaten. And then I told him everything else leading up to this point. The motel in the woods, Camp Harmony, Louis acting differently toward me, Harry ràping me when I was drugged. All of it.

When I was finished, Zayn sat there with his lips parted and his dark eyebrows fixed into a frown. "So you were taken advantage of once. And Declan hurt you, you said. Other than that, they haven't...sexually abused you. Bloody hell I just want to murder them."

"So you understand why I can't leave?" I asked.

"I guess." He shrugged. "I still think you'd have a better chance with me."

"It's good to talk about everything with someone. I haven't really been able to talk with anyone other than the boys this whole time. I'm so glad you're here." I admitted softly.

"I won't let them touch you ever again." He stated seriously.

"Can you...can you just hold me for a while?" I murmured hesitantly.

Yes, I knew what he'd done to countless girls, but I desperately wanted to be held.

"Of course. I'll never let you go." He whispered affectionately and reached out for me.

I leaned over and rested against him as he wrapped his strong arms around my body. I could hear his heartbeat and was reminded of the nights back home when I would sleep in his bed with him. Everything was good back then. We were a family; Zayn, Caspian, and I. Zayn always loved Caspian. He was so cute when he played with him and read him stories. I had never been able to picture Zayn pushing a helpless girl around and taking whatever he wanted from her.

Suddenly the door opened and our peaceful moment ended. All three of them walked in determinedly.

Harry came over and reached a hand out to me. "Come on Scarlet it's time for bed."

"Like hell she's sleeping with you." Zayn growled, holding onto me tighter.

"Zayn, let me remind you that you're only here because I invited you. Don't make me regret that decision. I am still in charge." Harry spoke coolly.

"You're not the boss of me anymore. I'll do whatever the hell I like and right now that is protecting my fiancée from your selfish horny ass. Now get the fûck out man." Zayn spat sternly.

Harry's eyebrow raised and I could basically see sparks shooting from his dark glare at the word ‘fiancée’. "I can't leave you too together all night or you'll convince her to leave with you."

"Harry, I'm not leaving her." Zayn stated.

I cut in. "You sent him here for me didn't you? Is your moment of kindness over? Are you going to be a dîckhead now like you always are? Come on, just leave me alone. Please."

Harry rolled his eyes, pursing his lips. He glanced back at Louis and Liam who shrugged reluctantly. "Fine. You can stay with him. But I'm locking you in and having a guard outside your door."

"Thank you." I said.

"So where am I going to sleep then?" Louis asked in annoyance.

Harry patted his arm and turned toward the door. "You can sleep with me."

The boys turned to leave and began arguing over sleeping arrangements.

"Is Niall not here? We could just use his room." Zayn spoke up and I winced, realizing I hadn't told him.

All of them stopped speaking and faced us gravely. With a cold look, Harry raked a hand through his hair. "Niall is dead. No one goes into his room."

They left silently as Zayn sat there frozen in shock. "He's dead? What?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I murmured.

"I-its fine. We aren't mates anymore." He breathed, but I could tell the news upset him more than he wanted to let on.

I leaned against him comfortingly while he he took it in. I wondered if Niall had started showing signs of wanting to leave the gang while Zayn was still with them, or after he'd left. Perhaps Zayn had knocked some sense into Niall.

"How bout you get ready for bed while I fix the bedsheets." He suggested abruptly, standing up and moving to the bed.

"Are you alright?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah...I mean. We were close before. He meant a lot, but he was just like Harry. It's fine really." Zayn rambled and gave me a half grin. "Don't worry about it. Go get ready for bed."

"I am." I said, shrugging.

"You're not gonna brush your teeth or wash your face?" He asked curiously. "You always used to do that without fail."

"I don't want to leave you..." I admitted shyly.

He waved me to him and I rushed into his arms, relishing the embrace. Perhaps now with someone on my side, I could make it through this without being completely destroyed. Zayn wouldn't let them hurt me. He would make sure I didn't get depressed. He would encourage me until the last. Yes, I felt that I would be doing a whole lot better with Zayn around.

So why did I feel a subtle shiver of fear run down my spine at his touch?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you all feeling about this story right now? Is it frustrating? Is it exciting? Thrilling? Boring?


	42. Drunken Honesty

After a restless night waking up frightened by nightmares every hour beside Zayn, I found myself sitting on the edge of the bed while Zayn was using the bathroom. I felt completely wrecked. I was sure I looked a mess, but Zayn hadn't said anything or even let on that I looked like a disaster.

Waiting anxiously for him to come back out, I felt like an annoying clingy girlfriend. But I at least had a legitimate excuse for not wanting him out of my sight. My stomach growled and ached because I hadn't eaten anything yesterday. I was so hungry that I felt sick.

Just then Zayn popped his head out and I looked up hopefully. "Hey love. Do you mind if I take a quick shower? I won't be long. I just smell really bad."

Putting on a fake smile, I nodded. "Yeah that's fine. Go right ahead."

"Before you know it I'll be back out with you okay? Nothing to worry about. Call if you need me." He assured me and ducked back into the bathroom.

Resuming my gloomy demeanor, I flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling while I waited. When I heard the shower head start spouting out water, the door to the hall opened. I sat up and saw Louis standing there. I didn't feel anxious at all until I saw his expression.

Louis' eyes appeared wild as he focused on me and his mouth was curled into a smirk. He leaned against the doorframe for support as his head bobbed around. I stiffened as he burped loudly.

He was drunk.

"Louis..." I said softly. "Why are you drunk so early in the morning?"

"None of yer damn business sweet cheeks. I been drinking all night." He slurred.

"Why?"

"Cuz now that you got him you won't pay any attention to me. And I'm sad." He pouted.

"Perhaps you should go find some breakfast for everyone? I'm hungry." I suggested, attempting to casually make him leave.

"Food? Gross. I'd rather eat you." He stepped into the room and stumbled toward me.

Suddenly on high alert, I scrambled from my side of the bed to the other. "Louis, you're not yourself. You've been so good. Don't ruin everything!"

"What the hell you talking bout? This is my true self, the one I been suppressing for so long because of you. What I really want is you naked beneath me." He stated, trying to get to me as I kept hurrying from one side of the bed to another.

"You're drunk. You wouldn't do this sober, please! Try to think of the consequences. I'll hate you again. I'll despise you!" I pleaded, scrambling away when he nimbly rushed around the bed trying to catch me.

"Come on darling. Stop running away from me. You'll enjoy it. You always did enjoy my sex more than the others isn't that right? Remember the closet?" Louis prodded, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'll scream and get Zayn's attention!" I threatened, feeling queasy because it had been a very long time since he had called me 'darling.'

He chuckled and surprised me by jumping on the bed and leaping over me. One hand covered my mouth as I tried screaming and the other held one of my wrists. I used my free hand to slap his face. He frowned, pinning me down and digging one of his knees into my crotch. I froze in fear, feeling his leg touching my area.

I shook my head, trying to look pleading so he'd wake up and realize what he was doing. He must have taken an unholy amount of alcohol into his system because he completely ignored my pleadings. Instead, he caught both my wrists in one hand and leaned down close to my face. I cringed at the strong scent of alcohol on his breath.

"I've seen you look at me these past weeks. You want me. More than Harry or Liam. Even Zayn. You look at me with a softness in your eyes." Louis breathed, gazing at me fondly.

I tried to speak but he kept his hand over my mouth. His knee put more pressure against my crotch and I shut my eyes, knowing Zayn would come out and save me.

"I wanna touch you, so either I let go of your hands or your mouth. If I do, you better not scream or slap me is that clear sweetheart?" He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

I just glared at him, wasting time. He squinted his eyes suspiciously.

"Scream and I'll lock Zayn up and beat him. He'll be here, but you won't get to see him. I'll punch him and hurt him like I've wanted to do for so long." Louis threatened.

Trapped, I nodded slowly. The shower was still running. Louis carefully uncovered my mouth and I took in a deep breath of air.

"Please, Louis get off me. You'll regret it. Please!" I begged.

"Yes, keep begging little one. I love it when you beg." Louis slurred and his hand slid down my body.

I whimpered, squirming under him and shaking my head. I decided not to beg since he liked it, but when his hand pushed my yoga pants down passed my hips I began to struggle. "No! Please Louis! Don't touch me!"

"A little quieter. Beg me not to touch you." Louis ordered, watching me eagerly when his entire hand cupped my naked area.

"Please! Louis please don't!" I gasped out, squirming to get away uselessly.

I saw his huge boner and my eyes smarted with tears. He noticed and smirked at my reaction. "Remember how it feels to have my big côck thrusting inside of you?"

"I don't like it! I hate it!"

"Nah that's not true. You always liked it when I was rough with you. I'd always get you so wet faster than the others. Because you like how rough I can be." He smirked proudly.

Whimpering, I debated whether or not I should just scream anyway and risk him locking up Zayn. His cold fingers sank into my slit and rubbed. I arched my back, trying to get away from his touch.

"Please don't! Please Louis I'm begging you. Please!" I cried, cringing when he pushed a finger inside of me.

"Yeah, that's more like it. Beg darling. I love seeing you struggle." He grinned and lost his balance a little because he was so drunk.

I tried pushing him off and almost managed to get him entirely off me, but he quickly caught me again and trapped me. His hand went back down and harshly slapped my crotch. I squeaked in surprised and he just chuckled in amusement.

"See you liked that, didn't you sweetheart? You liked when I slapped your pûssy." He slapped me again and I shook my head desperately.

"No, I didn't." I whispered, humiliated.

I heard the shower turn off just then and I prayed Zayn would come out soon.

"Louis. Please realize what you're doing. You don't want to do this to me." I tried to convince him.

He rolled his eyes lazily and leaned down to kiss my neck. I sucked in a nervous breath and felt his lips sloppily kiss me there. With my yoga pants half off, my legs were parted with his in between them, but at least he was still dressed. His hand was playing with my clît now but he was doing a terrible job since he was drunk.

"Please." I whispered.

"Please fûck you? Alright I will." He lifted his head and started unbuttoning his pants.

"No!" I cried.

Suddenly the door burst open and Zayn stood there in nothing but a towel, spotting us.

His face drained of color and Louis glared at him, barely disturbed at all. When Louis continued to undo his pants, Zayn bolted over and jumped onto the bed. He grabbed Louis and hurled him off the bed in one movement. I stared up at his dark wet hair falling in his face and the pure anger shooting from his eyes toward Louis.

Louis went sprawling across the floor and hit his head against the wall. "Ow!"

I scrambled to cover myself, but Zayn quickly placed a blanket over my lower half.

"He's drunk. He wouldn't have done it if he weren't." I murmured, pulling my yoga pants up under the blanket.

"Drunk or not. He's responsible for his actions." Zayn spat, getting off the bed and walking over to Louis.

Louis still lay on the floor glaring up at Zayn. "Yer still a buzzkill even after all this time dîckhead."

"Touch Scarlet again and I'll kill you." Zayn warned, kicking Louis in the stomach while clutching his towel. 

Groaning, Louis doubled over in pain and surprise. Grabbing Louis' hair in his fist and yanking him upright, Zayn socked him right in the face and then shoved him at the wall violently. He actually looked quite scary.

"Now get the fûck out." Zayn pointed to the door.

"This is my room you know." Louis whined, struggling to stand as he held the side of his face.

Zayn reached down and jerked him up, causing Louis to become dizzy and he stumbled. He dragged Louis out when it became clear he couldn't walk and dumped him out the door, slamming it shut. Turning to me, Zayn climbed onto the bed and moved toward me. I sat against the headboard and held my knees to my chest.

"It's okay now." Zayn assured me, brushing a few hairs out of my face.

I simply stared at the door, hating how helpless I was. If they threatened anyone close to me, I would just do whatever they said. It wasn't fair. I should have just called out. Why couldn't I just do something for myself for once and not think of other people? Because it was impossible.

"Why didn't you call for me?" He asked gently.

"He said he'd hurt you if I did." I whispered and he sighed.

"You don't have to protect me, I can take care of myself. Don't put yourself in danger for me okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone." Zayn apologized.

"It's not your fault. He hasn't done that in a long time and I wasn't expecting it." I admitted quietly.

"He's Louis. He's horny 24/7 and doesn't care about anyone but himself." Zayn noted.

"But he was so different after...we went through Declan's together. I...I guess he was just drunk and not thinking straight." I lowered my gaze sadly.

"You shouldn't defend him or trust him. Don't trust any of them. I'm sorry. I should've stopped it sooner." Zayn wrapped his arms around me.

"I would've screamed but he threatened you." I teared up again.

"Hey, hey. Don't blame yourself. None of this is your fault. I'll get you out of here and keep you safe." He held me and rested his cheek against my head.

The mocking voice in my head began taunting me: He ràped girls too. He tied them up, kidnapped them, hurt them, sexually abused them. He's just like them!

Pushing away, I got off the bed. "I...I need to shower now. Can you guard the door for me?"

"Of course." He nodded and followed me.

I grabbed some new clothes from a bag on the floor and went to the bathroom. "Don't come in okay?"

"Not unless you call for me." He frowned, seeming hurt that I felt the need to say that to him.

"Sorry...I'm just so used to being taken advantage of." I apologized, opening the door.

"Don't apologize, now go shower and take all the time you need. I'll keep you safe." He assured me before I closed the door.

I was extremely disturbed that Louis could go back to his old self so quickly just by drinking alcohol. In the future I would have to tell him to stay away from the stuff. These boys and alcohol did not mix well. Inspecting the clothes I picked up, which included a long sleeve baby blue sweater, a black bralette with matching panties, and some skinny jeans, I set them on the counter.

The clothes were obviously used and I somehow knew they belonged to the girls downstairs. I hoped Naomi and the others were okay and hadn't been sold. I needed time to figure out how to get them out, because there was no way I was going to abandon them. Perhaps now that Zayn was here he would help me get them out the next time the boys left to find Declan.


	43. Apology

"Okay, what the fûck did you do to Louis?" Harry bellowed, barging into Louis' room where Zayn and I were cuddling on the bed.

Keeping his arm around me, Zayn gritted his teeth. "What do you mean?"

Harry angrily marched to the edge of the bed and placed a hand on his hip while pointing accusingly at us. "You know exactly what. I found him curled in a ball underneath the bar with a black eye! What is the meaning of this?"

"It means you're all a bunch of motherfûckers who have no respect for women!" Zayn shot at him.

Visibly seething, Harry's eyes narrowed before he looked at me. "Scarlet? What happened."

Glancing down at my lap, I grimaced before saying quietly, "He assaulted me again. Zayn caught him."

Understanding, but still angry, Harry huffed. "I can't say I'm surprised, it was only a matter of time before he couldn't resist you anymore. But Malik. I invited you here. If you ever lay a hand on any of us again I won't hesitate to kick you out."

"I would only turn back around and take Scarlet with me." Zayn mocked.

"Shut the hell up you coward! You'd only be sentencing her to death if you did. I swear I'm going to have Scarlet sleep in my room if you keep this up. I can't stand you." Harry spat, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Both of you stop! Please, just stop. Harry would you leave us alone? You're not helping anything." I spoke up and they both looked at me.

"This is the thanks I get after bringing this àsshole to you." Harry muttered dejectedly. "Zayn I swear if you touch Louis again with your Indian looking hands I'm going to rip—"

"Mate you know I'm not Indian." Zayn cut in.

"Shut up! Harry leave! I don't want you here." I yelled, sitting up straighter and throwing a pillow at Harry.

"He's not staying much longer so enjoy your time." Harry glared at Zayn hard and then stormed out, slamming the door.

"Don't worry love. He can't make me leave you." Zayn assured me comfortingly and pulled the covers up higher.

"Maybe so, but he can certainly make us miserable." I responded, pulling the sleeves of my sweater down to hide the scars from Declan's handcuffs.

Sighing, Zayn watched me closely for a while as I simply stared ahead with no emotion. He undoubtedly could tell I was depressed and miserable since I didn't even try to hide it. He appeared to be quite distressed over my state and leaned his head down to rest against mine.

"What could I do right now that would make you happy?" He asked.

Thinking, I shifted my position and shrugged. "Talk about my son."

"He's perfectly safe, Scarlet. Your parents are overprotective of him and since everyone knows Harry and the gang have escaped prison, they have cops watching over your family 24/7." Zayn said softly.

"How long did it take the prison to realize the boys had gotten out after we called them the first time I saw Harry in the diner?" I wanted to know.

"Well, when they kidnapped you I went to the prison myself and demanded they show me each of the lads. Turns out Harry had a few guards on his side who put decoys in their cells. The ones at fault got in big trouble, obviously. That's when they started a full scale search and apologized to your family." He explained.

"How did my parents react when they learned I was gone?" I asked hesitantly.

"They were obviously horrified. They looked for you too. After a month though they left the search to the authorities so they could look after Titus and Caspian." He replied.

"Caspian...he's so young. He shouldn't be without me. What if he thinks I abandoned him?" I whimpered, curling up.

"He's okay. He just misses you a lot so don't worry about him. Nothing bad's going to happen, I assure you." Zayn told me seriously.

We kept talking for a long time. I couldn't drop the subject of my son because my heart was aching to hold him in my arms and protect him. I missed him terribly and had never felt like this about anybody in my life. It was horrible.

After a while I remembered how hungry I was and so Zayn offered to go find something to eat. I wanted to go with him so we left the room together and I walked alongside him in my socked feet. The cold cement hall was lonely and spooky so we quickly went into the clubbing room where the bar was. Louis wasn't in there anymore thankfully. I swiftly pushed him from my mind, hating that I felt betrayed by him. I should never have let myself start trusting that monster.

We walked across the wood floor to the bar and found a few snacks behind it under the counter. Sitting on the stools, we munched on chips, popcorn, and overripe bananas. I was starving, so I ate as much as I could. Zayn kept eyeing my body, but not in a bad way. He was definitely noticing how skinny I had become.

"What's this?" He asked, his finger touching my accidentally exposed wrist.

Covering the scars that wrapped entirely around my wrists, I quickly looked away. "Nothing."

I hadn't told him details about Declan's basement, just that he hurt us. So he had no idea I had been chained to the ceiling and whipped, punched, strapped, kicked, and sliced with knives. I couldn't bring myself to tell him out loud either.

"It's clearly not nothing. How did you get those?" Zayn pressed gently, sensing it was a sensitive subject.

"Please don't ask." I whispered.

"I don't mean to upset you, but I just need to know. Was it the boys?" He asked.

I shook my head.

"Declan?" He guessed, his voice growing quieter in dread.

I nodded.

"What did he do to you?" He inquired, reaching out to touch my arm.

I jerked away and got off the stool. "Please don't make me talk about it. It was one of the worst experiences of my life."

"I'm sorry..." Zayn stopped pressing and reached out to me. "Come sit back down. I'll drop it."

"I'm sorry I've become so pathetic and weak." I despaired unhappily, sitting down again.

Zayn turned, determinedly shaking his head. "No. Scarlet you're not pathetic and weak! Don't ever say that about yourself. Look at you. You're still alive after everything that's been done to you, all the shît you've gone through. And what's most important is that you're still you. You're still that compassionate, caring, selfless, strong woman I fell in love with."

Becoming emotional over his declaration, I glanced down at my bag of chips. "I'm so glad you're here."

Zayn carefully took my hand and traced the engagement ring he had put there. "I gave you this because I love you. You're strong enough to keep on living and fighting back no matter what."

"I'm not always strong." My voice cracked as I held back tears. "The other night I tried to jump out the window. This building is five stories high."

He paused at my statement and I could sense how worried he was even though he tried to hide it. "But you didn't. Any person in this situation could be pushed to that point, but you're still here." Zayn encouraged me.

"Only because the boys pulled me back!" I responded, disgusted with myself.

"Scarlet...if you really wanted to die, you would have found another way. But you didn't. You're stronger than that." Zayn held my hand comfortingly.

"Thank you." I said sadly. "I'm so used to everyone tearing me down rather than encouraging me. I don't know what to do with it."

"Just accept it and know that I love you more than anything and I'd do anything for you." He promised, making sure I believed it.

I reached out and hugged him, wanting to be held by someone who didn't want to hurt me. Even though I had secret doubts about him, I couldn't simply toss him aside in the blink of an eye, because I loved him and he loved me. I would eventually have to consider the fact that he had abused women, but not right now.

•••

Back in Louis' room that evening, I was sat on the bed twiddling my thumbs while Zayn was in the bathroom. When the door opened and Louis' head peeked in, I startled and sat up on my knees with a fearful look. I was ready to call for Zayn, but Louis held up a sober hand and put a finger to his lips.

"I promise I won't hurt you. I just want to talk." He said, taking a step inside hesitantly. He wasn't drunk anymore, but he was clearly wrecked with dark circles under his eyes and his usually nice hair all messed up.

"I don't want you here. Leave." I said coldly.

"Scarlet...let me explain. What I did earlier...I wasn't in my right mind." He told me as he closed the door and walked toward the bed.

"Stop. Don't come any nearer!" I ordered, holding up a hand. "You still assaulted me and that's all that matters. Now get out."

"Scar..." Louis' shoulders slumped a little as his face fell. "I didn't mean to. When I'm drunk...I can't help myself! You're just so damn beautiful all the time."

"Save it. I never should have trusted you or let you in. I was even starting to feel comfortable around you!" I scoffed, feeling disgusted with myself. "And then you had to go and touch me like that again. How could I have overlooked what you've done to me?"

"Scarlet, listen! I can't explain what I'm thinking or how I feel. But I wish I hadn't touched you like that." He said urgently.

"Leave!" I pointed to the door as I got off the bed. "You're just a sick ràpist who doesn't care about anything but your fûcking self! I hate you!"

"I'm sorry!" He roared, slamming his fists onto the bed frame.

Stunned, because he apologized, I stood beside the bed in silence as he stormed across the floor and knocked over a chair. He picked up the wooden thing and slammed it into the wall, smashing it into pieces.

"What the hell is going on?" Zayn immediately emerged from the bathroom and noticed what was transpiring, but before he could intervene, Louis went on a rampage.

"Listen up you stupid girl. I'm sorry for pinning you to the bed and touching you while you begged me not to. I'm fûcking sorry for that. You and I went through hell together in Declan's basement and the only reason your scars are worse than mine is because you fûcking took the beatings for me! I will never understand why you've done that for me; the person you hate the most in the world. While you were strung up being whipped by him in my place, I swore I'd never treat you like I did again. But I did...simply because I drank a fûcking bottle of alcohol! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Scarlet..."

I was speechlessly standing by the wall beside the bed. While he was speaking he had been slowly walking closer to me so now my back was against the wall and he was in front of me. Everything he'd just told me seemed more genuine than anything he'd ever said and that's why I had no words.

Louis frowned, uncomfortably foreign emotions swirling through his eyes. He reached a hand up and touched my cheek as he whispered. "I'm sorry for hurting you..."

I opened my mouth to respond but I didn't know what to say. All of a sudden Louis' lips were pressed to mine.

He kissed me as I inhaled sharply. His hands cupped my face while mine remained motionless in the air, not knowing whether or not to shove him away and slap him right after he made himself so vulnerable. I heard Zayn rushing across the room before he roughly yanked Louis away from me and shoved him hard.

"Get the fûck out. That's my fiancée you just kissed so I suggest you get lost before I break your neck." Zayn fumed as he went to me and put an arm round my shoulders.

Louis looked to me for assurance, but I quickly looked away. I heard him abruptly leave and slam the door.

"What was that?" Zayn wanted to know.

"Never mind." I silenced the subject and made it clear I didn't want to talk about it.

Louis' apology seemed so genuine and heartfelt that I almost believed he meant it. Louis was not a man to express his feelings or humble himself enough to apologize. He was prideful, conceited, and closed off. Yet tonight he kissed me.... Louis hardly ever kissed me before. He only fûcked hard and that was it. So what on earth was going through his mind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are your thoughts on Louis' actions?


	44. Scars

Zayn had been oddly quiet ever since Louis left. I'd caught him staring at me worriedly several times. I remained silent too simply because I was confused and had too much on my mind.

Outside was dark again, the snow constantly falling to the ground. The windows in this huge building painted squares of yellow light onto the white street below. I closed the curtains and flicked off the main light before turning on a small lamp beside the bed. The mood was more cozy now.

I was satisfied for once after having been fed a real dinner by Liam a while ago. Now Zayn and I sat on the middle of the bed while he gently brushed my tangled hair. It took ages to get all the tangles out since I had so much hair and I'd neglected taking care of myself lately. But finally he was finished and then ran his hands through it. I wondered why he was playing with it until I realized he was braiding it. He braided it all the way down my back just like I'd taught him to.

"There." He mused, patting his handy work.

"Thank you." I murmured not turning around.

He was still behind me and I felt the bed shift as he adjusted his position to closer behind me. I felt his fingers touch the back of my neck. I realized he was probably looking at the scars that peeked out the top of my sweater. What I really needed was a turtleneck to hide everything.

I moved to turn around, but he stopped me by taking hold of my arms. "No, love. Stay. You were hurt...and I know I can never make it better, but I don't want you to be ashamed of yourself. You think I'll react badly to whatever you're hiding from me, but I could never."

Tilting my head as my lip trembled, I stayed facing away from him. I'd always trusted him, so it was hard not to even though he had done horrible things to girls like me.

I suddenly felt his soft lips touch the back of my neck where I knew a few scars were. I sucked in a breath, but remained still. Slowly, Zayn moved my braid to settle across my left shoulder while he lightly kissed my neck.

"I heard what Louis said earlier...about what happened to you two. I can't imagine what it must have been like, but I want you to know that whatever reminders he left behind on your body, I don't care." He told me comfortingly and kissed my neck again.

Realizing that Louis had basically said everything I was keeping from Zayn—about the whipping, cutting, beating, and starving—there was no hiding it now. I loved him so I felt like I needed to tell him, but I was terrified of telling him. What would he think?

Turning my head, I sadly looked into his caramel eyes. "I...I need to show you what happened."

Surprised, he rested a hand on my shoulder and tipped his head. "Are you sure? You don't need to show me if you don't want to."

"You won't understand what happened until I do." I said, my face falling. "I want to show you the gravity of it all. Being my future husband...you deserve to know and since I can't talk about it out loud I'll have to show you."

All of a sudden he looked nervous as I turned my back to him and began lifting my sweater. Once it cleared my head, I held the material in my lap. I heard Zayn inhale sharply at the sight of my bare back. I felt sadness take over as I thought about what he was looking at right now.

The white scars littered my entire back, some larger than others. The largest being from the knives Declan used to slice through my skin whenever I begged him to stop. I knew Zayn must be horrified, because it was extremely horrifying to look at.

Hesitantly, I turned and looked at him over my shoulder. He looked to be practically blinded by his tears as he stared back at me with an open mouth. The moment my lower lip trembled in brokenness, his eyes overflowed and the tears fell down his cheeks.

"Scarlet my love..." He whispered in anguish, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around my middle.

I cried softly as he leaned down and started lightly kissing the scars on my back. They looked horrid and were a reminder of agonizing pain and suffering—most of which I received for Louis. Declan would have beaten Louis far more often than me if I hadn't intervened, but I couldn't just lie there and watch.

I was afraid that Zayn would think me ugly now that my previously nice skin was crisscrossed with scars. They weren't only on my back, but my arms, my legs, my stomach, a few on my chest too. I held my face in my hands and cried.

"Shh lovely." Zayn breathed, holding me tight from behind and kissing under my ear. "You went through hell. You don't have to be ashamed of these. They're not your fault you know."

"They've ruined me. I'm hideous now." I whimpered.

"You're not hideous. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met; always have been, always will be. If anything these scars are a sign of your enduring strength." Zayn told me emotionally.

I couldn't help but sob, turning around and flinging my arms around him tightly. His words were exactly what I had been trying to tell myself.

"These scars." Zayn spoke softly, running his fingers down my back. "Are a declaration that you are the bravest, strongest, most badass woman to ever walk the earth."

I laughed once amidst my crying and pulled back to look at his teary eyes. "But they're everywhere. How could you want me when I look like this?"

He shook his head, leaning forward and kissing my cheek tenderly. "Push all those insecurities away love, because I love you no matter how many scars are on your body. I didn't fall in love with you for your body anyway, but you're beautiful mind."

Nodding as I hiccuped, I still felt ashamed and ugly. And Zayn could sense that, so he moved to kiss the scars on my shoulders. I sniffled and watched him move slowly down my arm. He kissed the white lines and squiggles all the way down to my wrists, where he held my hand up and kissed my knuckles.

Staring at him when he looked up into my eyes, I glanced down at his lips. It had been a very long time since we'd kissed. That's all I was semi-comfortable doing with him. Anything further than that I always avoided. He carefully held the side of my face and leaned in, kissing me on my lips.

I allowed him to kiss me, even though my top half was only wearing a bra which made me feel uncomfortable. Before I knew it, he had pushed me down onto my back and was slowly and gently kissing my mouth. He was trying to show me that the scars didn't disgust him, that he still thought I was beautiful and it was so sweet. I felt so loved and cared for in that moment that I felt I might explode.

He held his body up off mine so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable and moved his kisses down to my neck, sucking on my collarbone. I tensed a little as his mouth moved lower.

"Zayn." I squeaked, putting my hands in his thick hair.

He quickly looked up at me and saw I was nervous. "Sorry."

He moved his kisses back up to under my ear, making me emit a sound of pleasure. I stared at the ceiling wide eyed, unfamiliar with moaning out of genuine enjoyment. Realizing he'd found a special place, Zayn kissed harder there and put a hand on my hip.

"Oh..." I moaned, shifting under him.

His hand slid up my side and I gasped when his thumb rested just below my breast. "Zayn!"

He quickly moved his hand and mumbled an apology again. I held his head while he continued sloppily kissing places where scars adorned my skin. Eventually, his hands began to be a little too touchy and I became anxious, focusing too much on the physical contact rather than the fact he was trying to make me feel better. I grabbed his hands to stop him from squeezing my thighs.

"Zayn, please." I whispered.

"You like that?" He asked, misunderstanding my plea and moved his hands higher up my thighs.

"No, Zayn I mean.. please, don't do that. I'm not ready." I murmured, my face growing hot.

His attention moved from my stomach to my face. "Am I making you uncomfortable? Should I stop?"

I tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I think you've kissed everything ten times. Can we just cuddle now?"

"Oh... Yes. Of course. Anything you want." He nodded and helped me put my sweater back on. "But if you ask me, you don't need to wear such modest clothing. You shouldn't feel like you have to hide your skin."

"But I do...and not only because of the scars. The boys always look at any exposed skin. It just...makes me feel safer." I said quietly as we both lay down and he put his arms around me.

"I'm sorry all this has happened to you. You never deserved any of it." He said, snuggling his face close to mine as he held me tight.

•••

"Wake up you two." Harry came barging in the next morning and jerked the covers off of us.

He clearly didn't like that Zayn was holding me; I could tell by the way he cocked an eyebrow and his nostrils flared. Sitting up and rubbing my eyes, I glanced around and wondered what time it was.

"What do you want?" Zayn muttered, looking sexy as fûck with his hair sticking up in every direction.

"First of all, did you have sex last night? Because both of you look wrecked." Harry questioned bluntly.

"That's none of your business, àsshole." I mumbled, hating how nosy Harry was.

"Did you?" He insisted, his voice practically dripping jealousy.

"Even though you probably won't believe it, we've never had sex. I have more respect for her than to simply force it on her when she doesn't want it." Zayn spat out grumpily.

Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You're right I don't believe it. Even you with your newfound morals and rules couldn't resist her body. I know the way you think, Malik, and all you ever think about is how a woman's body would feel wrapped around your–"

"Shut the hell up and just tell us why you woke us." Zayn interrupted, taking his hands off me and leaning against the headboard.

Smirking as if he'd made a point even though he didn't, Harry slipped a phone out of his back pocket. "You keep getting texts from the same number and it's quite annoying. I would have read them and told them to shut the fûck up, but the content is hidden and I can't seem to unlock your damn phone. So here. Make it stop beeping."

"Well you're the one who insisted I let you have it if I wanted to see Scarlet." Zayn caught the phone that was thrown at him and quickly unlocked it with an eye scan. He read the messages quickly and his face went pale.

"What is it?" I touched his shoulder.

He glanced at me, appearing to be debating whether to tell me or not. "Uh...it's not good news."

"What is it, Zayn? Tell me." I demanded, reaching for the phone.

"It's your dad. They're in trouble." He explained softly.

"What!?" I cried, grabbing his phone and reading the messages. Panic immediately swept through me.

Mr. O'Hara: Someone's outside the house trying to get in.

Mr. O'Hara: There's more than one.

Mr. O'Hara: They're surrounding the house.

Mr. O'Hara: If you find Scarlet keep her safe. I called the cops.

Mr. O'Hara: Zayn where are you?

Mr. O'Hara: They're coming in!

Mr. O'Hara: Get help

Mr. O'Hara: Fjskd

I covered my mouth in fear and looked up at Zayn. "Who do you think..."

"It couldn't be anyone else besides Declan. I have to go see if they're alright." Zayn decided and got off the bed.

"I'm coming with you." I followed him, but Harry held up his hand.

"Scarlet, you aren't going anywhere." He stopped me.

"Excuse me?" I retorted sassily.

"I'm not letting you leave. You'd be in immediate danger the second you walked out door. You know this, don't be stupid." Harry said firmly.

"I will keep her safe. Let her make her own decisions for once." Zayn began hastily pulling on the rest of his clothes and his hat, scarf, gloves, and boots.

"Yeah, let me go Harry. I'll be fine with Zayn." I insisted, trying to get passed him but he wouldn't let me.

"I'm taking her with me whether you like it or not." Zayn spoke threateningly, swinging his scarf around his neck.

"I'm only trying to keep you safe. You have no idea how easily Declan could find you out there. Do you really want what happened to you to happen again? Or worse?" Harry asked me gently as I pushed him off me.

"You're just trying to keep me here. I can't trust anything you say anymore." I shook my head, looking passed him at Zayn.

"Scarlet, stop fighting and look at me." Harry gritted his teeth and shook me so I'd stop wriggling around. "I wasn't wrong last time. Declan really was looking for you and the moment you ran away, he found you. I'm not letting that happen again."

Hesitating, I grimaced at the memory of how Declan treated me and frowned. Zayn was finished dressing and he waited at the door impatiently.

"But I don't want to stay with you anymore. I can't trust you at all after what you did to me. I hate you." I looked up at Harry.

Something I might call hurt flashed across his eyes, but I knew he wasn't sorry for ràping me when I was drugged. He told me himself that he wasn't sorry—that he actually enjoyed it.

"Scarlet...I'll control myself." He assured me.

"No! You won't. None of you can control yourselves. I'm leaving and you can't stop me." I yelled, and shoved him which hardly did anything.

He let out an almost amused chuckle as if I were stupid. "Of course I can stop you. You know I can do whatever I want no matter what you say."

Frustrated, I looked to Zayn for help.

"Let her come with me." Zayn demanded. "We don't have time for this just let her go!"

"This building is crawling with my men. There is no way you could get out without my permission. So no, I won't let you go, Scarlet. He can leave. I don't give a shît about if he lives or dies, but you... I do care a lot about if you were to die." Harry stated and walked toward the door.

Zayn was ready to start swinging. "I'm not leaving without—"

"Just go, Zayn. My family can't wait any longer. I'll be fine." I murmured, hugging myself.

Following Harry out the door Zayn yelled, "You bloody dîckhead! I'll return and take her with me and you'll never see her again, you hear me?"

Harry simply gave him a mocking smirk as he stood in the middle of the long corridor. "If I want her with me, she will be. There's nothing you can do to stop me and you know it. Now get lost before I kill you."

I kept Zayn from replying by hurrying to him and clutching his face in my hands. "Go. Make sure my family is safe. I'll be okay."

With that, I tipped his face down and kissed his mouth deeply. He embraced me and kissed me back just as warmly, both of us wanting to rub it in Harry's face that we were in love.

"I said get out before I kill you." Harry repeated, marching forward and yanking me away. He pointed at the elevator.

"I'll come back for you, I promise. And I will protect your family with my life." Zayn promised, staring at me as he walked backward to the elevator.

"Liam!" Harry shouted. "Walk Zayn out so someone doesn't shoot him."

Liam quickly exited his bedroom and trotted over to Zayn, making an okay sign with his fingers. "Anything you want boss."

Harry rolled his eyes and tugged me back, but I stood my ground, watching Zayn and Liam step into the elevator. He blew me a kiss as the doors closed. And as Harry pulled me toward his own room, I prayed that my family was okay. My dad, my mom, my brother, my son. If anything happened to any one of them, I wasn't sure how I would survive.


	45. On My Own

Harry pulled me to his room after Zayn was gone and shut us inside. Louis was lounging on the bed only wearing boxers and when we entered he looked up from his phone. When he noticed me, he avoided my gaze and pretended to be interested in his phone. He probably still felt guilty about sexually assaulting me.

"Do you understand why I wouldn't let you go?" Harry asked me, watching as I went straight to the couch by the window.

"Of course I do. You're a selfish prîck who doesn't think I can take care of myself." I retorted, opening the curtains so I could look outside.

He sighed behind me. "You obviously don't understand then. I'm only trying to protect you from Declan." Harry told me, coming to sit beside me on the couch.

"Zayn can protect me too." I didn't even argue that I needed protecting. I had found after all this time that even in my greatest moments, I wasn't exceptional at protecting myself. I just wished my protector could be someone I trusted.

"Zayn knows nothing. Declan is everywhere at once. He might even know that I have this building and could be watching it right now, trying to devise a plan to get in. Obviously, he could never get in here. I have the best men and this building only has a few well guarded entrances." Harry told me.

I didn't respond, simply because I was tired of talking to him. He thought one way and wouldn't change what he believed. So I leaned my arms against the back of the couch and looked outside.

"Oi. Harry. I'm hungry would you get me food?" Louis suddenly piped up from the bed.

"Get it yourself." Harry mumbled, staring at me.

"I want a sandwich and some crisps. Bring a soda while you're at it." Louis went on.

"Ugh. Fine. Scarlet want anything?" Harry sighed and got up.

"Yes please. I'm really hungry." I murmured, my stomach growling.

"Alright. I'll be back in a jiffy." He said, leaving the room.

Pretending Louis wasn't in here with me, I looked down on the street and saw Zayn hurrying along the sidewalk. I prayed he would be able to help my family and get them out of whatever trouble they were in. Perhaps the cops had already gotten there and they were all safe. Perhaps it had all been a misunderstanding. But there was a nagging feeling at the back of my mind saying my family really was in a lot of trouble.

When Zayn disappeared, I rested my forehead on my arms and tried not to cry. What if Caspian was hurt? What if dad hadn't been able to protect everybody? What if it was Declan who showed up at my house and he took my baby? All of these horrible thoughts kept swirling through my mind. My heart hurt with how much I wished I could simply pluck my family from wherever they were at and put them someplace safe.

Harry came back after a while and I heard Louis let out a breath. He hadn't said a word while Harry was gone, which wasn't normal for the talkative boy. Harry gave Louis a bag and then came over to me with mine.

"Lou, can I have a word outside." He said, handing me my food.

"Nah, I don't wanna get up." Louis replied, riffling through his paper bag and taking out a large sandwich.

"It's important." Harry nodded at the door.

"Just tell me here. I'm comfortable." Louis said without looking at his friend.

Huffing, Harry climbed onto the bed and whispered in his ear. I strained my ears to hear what he said. I barely caught a few things.

"..new batch of girls...lets go check 'em out." 

Horrified, my eyes went wide. "Harry!"

He turned to look at me guiltily. "Yes?"

"I heard you. And no you will not go check the girls out. Do you hear me? Just let them all go!" I stood up, forgetting my food.

Louis raised his eyebrows and looked at his food, wanting to stay out of it.

Harry got off the bed and stood in front of me. "Sit down and mind your own business."

"Those girls are my business, àsshole. And you will not go near them unless it's to let them go free." I demanded, poking his chest hard.

He pushed my hand away. "Since I don't get sex from you, I need it from somewhere. You should be thankful that I'm fûcking them instead of you."

Mouth parting in disbelief. "You've done it before?!"

"A couple of times yes. But it doesn't matter. At least it's not you!" He returned defensively.

"Don't do that Harry! Do not touch those girls. I can't believe you would do that." I grabbed my hair in horror.

"I don't think you realize why they are here. You've been shutting out the reality of it all, I can see that. But Scarlet, they're here so that I can sell them to people for money. Men and women buy them to use them for their own pleasure. It doesn't matter if I take a little of what I want before they're sold." Harry tried to explain.

"You sîck bàstard! It does matter! They're people not animals! I don't know why I'm so shocked right now. I should already know you're like this, but it's just so..." I wanted to cry I was so horrified. "Louis have you...?"

Louis dropped his gaze, slowly chewing his sandwich.

"You've used them too?" I whispered, somehow disappointed.

"We all have okay? It's just who we are and we can't help it." Harry told me. "Liam's down there now."

"No..." my eyes watered.

"Unless you let us fûck you, which is highly unlikely, we're going to find someone else to use." Harry stated.

"But I..." I looked from one to the other, considering letting them use me to save the girls. But it was just so terrifying that I couldn't do it. "Harry..."

When I choked on a sob Harry moved toward me, but I pushed him away and shook my head. I couldn't let him just fûck me all he wanted, could I? How could he, when so far away from the people I loved, still find a way to blackmail me into allowing him to assault me? He was using my caring heart and it wasn't fair. I couldn't just stand by and watch innocent people get hurt when I could do something to stop it.

"Why would you do this?" My voice cracked.

"I knew you wouldn't let me touch you, so I didn't ever bring it up and just used the girls without telling you." Harry explained.

"But I can't just sit here and let you hurt them." I gasped out, greatly troubled.

"I don't expect you to–"

I interrupted him. "Just...use me. I can't let you hurt them and do nothing about it. They're innocent."

Harry went silent, staring at me in surprise. He glanced at Louis who was also staring at me like I was crazy. Sometimes I thought I was, but in reality, my heart was simply too big to handle.

"You would do that? For strangers?" Harry inquired, not believing me.

I suffered for Louis, so why not strangers too? "They probably have never had this happen to them. Some of them could be virgins. I know what it's like to have your virginity brutally torn from you. I could never sit back and allow an innocent girl to experience what I have."

This was going to be Camp Harmony all over again.

Harry scratched the back of his neck, looking at the floor. There was a momentary pause before he spoke. He was clearly feeling guilty, but I could tell he was glad with my choice. "Well...I mean then I guess if you agree–"

"We won't blackmail you." Louis cut in quickly.

Harry looked at him sharply. "Say what now?"

Louis kept his eyes on me as he nodded seriously. "We won't blackmail you into letting us fûck you. We'll leave the girls alone as well."

Stunned, I stared back at Louis who's mouth turned up into a little smile before he looked down at his lap.

Harry seemed hesitant, not wanting to give up his chance at fûcking me probably. But eventually he nodded and clenched his jaw. "Fine. We won't fûck you or the girls."

"Then you should go get Liam." I said quickly, remembering he was down there.

Giving me a disappointed look, he trudged toward the door. Louis turned away from me and kept eating his food.

"Wait, Harry. I want to come with you." I spoke up and he stopped.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously.

"I just want to check on the girls...see how they're doing." I explained softly.

Reluctantly, Harry sighed and then shrugged. "I'll have to treat you poorly in front of my men, but if you don't mind that, I suppose you can come."

"You already treat me poorly. But why do you have to do it in front of your men?" I frowned, walking over to him.

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed the door handle. "They need to know I'm an àsshole with no soul. It's the only way they fear me, so don't be offended if I have to slap you or something. Make sure you're respectful and do everything I say or I'll have to hurt you in front of them. Understand?"

"Yes..." I responded gloomily.

"Then come with me." Harry gestured for me to leave the room.

I turned back to Louis sitting on the bed and caught him watching me, but he quickly looked away. "Thank you Louis..." I murmured to him.

"Don't talk about it." He replied blankly.

Harry pulled me out before I could respond and shut the door. As we walked toward the elevator, he spoke up. "I don't know what's gotten into him."

I remained silent, having a good idea that it was probably because of our stay at Declan's. I wasn't glad that we suffered, but I was utterly relieved that it seemed to have affected Louis in a sort of good way. Although I had a difficult time putting "Louis" and "good" in one sentence.

Harry brought me downstairs to the lowest level where the cells were and we headed down the creepy hallway to the large door. "You won't like what you see. Are you sure you want to come with me?"

"Yes...I want to see the girls." I nodded.

He shrugged and then opened the huge door for me and let me through first. I heard men's laughter and my entire chest tightened. Stepping through the doorway, I saw three men huddled around a cell in the middle of the corridor. They were standing there watching something inside.

Harry took me by the arm and pulled me along. I quickly glanced to the first cell on the right and to my relief, I saw Naomi was still there. I pulled against Harry, but he tugged me forward. I frowned in worry when I saw that she was lying on the cement floor with way more bruises than before. She looked dead.

The other girls were curled up, or laying down and a few looked up at us. Their eyes filled with fear when they saw Harry. I was overwhelmed with anger, wondering what Harry had done to invoke such fear in them.

When we reached the cell the men were gathered around, I stopped short in horror. Trouserless Liam was kneeling on the ground with a naked girl on her knees and her hands tied behind her back. Her face was rubbing against the cement while Liam was ramming himself into her behind roughly.

I opened my mouth to scream for him to stop, but Harry clamped a hand over my mouth, whispering harshly, "If you say anything I will be forced to punish you in front of them."

I turned my face away in horrified disgust as Harry held onto me.

"Liam." Harry spoke up and they all turned, noticing us for the first time.

Liam seemed perplexed about my presence, but he didn't slow his thrusts. The other men greeted Harry warily, sounding scared of him. Harry let me go and pushed me down so I had to drop to my knees. I let him and just sat there at his feet, avoiding looking at Liam and the girl.

"What's up, Harry?" Liam grunted.

"Is this another slave for us to play with?" One of the men asked about me and another guy elbowed his ribs.

"She's mine. Do not touch her." Harry ordered swiftly. "Liam, go upstairs."

"Right now? Can't you see I'm busy?" Liam retorted, moaning as the girl whimpered. He started going faster.

"We need to talk. The three of us, just go upstairs." Harry insisted.

Liam ignored Harry while he thrusted fast and hard. I could tell by the horrible sound he was making by slamming into her that he was being cruelly rough. A moment after he groaned loudly, probably coming. He finally stopped and I risked a peek as he pushed the girl away. She was completely worn out and crying softly with her hands still tied. My heart broke for her, knowing exactly what she just went through.

"All you men, leave this hall for a while. I have some things to teach my slût." Harry's deep voice echoed down the corridor and I shivered nervously, even though he was only saying those things for show.

"Yes, boss. I know you'll teach her a good hard lesson." One of them smirked at me sitting at Harry's feet.

I wisely stayed silent as they all began walking to the door. Liam pulled his pants back up and fastened them. When the door banged closed, Liam came over to us, shutting the cell he had been in.

"What's the big idea? I just came down for a distraction. Can't your conversation wait?" He whined, glancing back at the poor blond haired girl who I could clearly tell was traumatized.

"Just go find Louis. He'll explain." Harry sighed, taking the keys from Liam and then waiting for him to stomp out of the long corridor.

When we were alone other than the girls, Harry bent down and helped me stand back up. I slapped his hands away though, standing on my own. I looked around at the girls in their cells, not knowing what I could possibly do to help. Harry watched me curiously, standing awkwardly with his arms crossed.

I went to the cell of the girl who'd just been ràped and looked at Harry. He glanced from side to side before coming and unlocking the door. I slowly went inside, but the girl was huddled in the corner shaking with her eyes tightly shut. Kneeling next to her, I lightly touched her shoulder. She jerked away and turned to stare at me. She grew a little less afraid when she saw who I was.

It was painful to see the fear, brokenness, and trauma in her watery eyes. I stuttered a little before murmuring. "I...I...want to give you my sweater."

Uncertainty flashed across her face, especially when she glanced at Harry. So I tried to reassure her. "I'm a prisoner here too. You don't need to be afraid of me, I just want to help."

I slipped off my sweater and handed it to her, instantly feeling the chilliness of the place in only my bra. It wasn't nearly as freezing as Declan's basement though. I had to help her by untying her hands before she could put it on. She glanced at Harry before carefully taking the sweater and pulling it on.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Anna." She whispered, taking a shy peek at my scars.

"I'm Scarlet. Could I...could I hug you, Anna? I'm...not sure what else to do..." I hung my head, feeling utterly useless since I couldn't help her escape.

She touched my hand, nodding slowly. I reached out and put my arms around her and she held onto me. I could feel her body shake as she cried against me. My own eyes teared up at the broken sounds that came from Anna and I wanted nothing more than to help her get to a safe place. I wanted to kill every man in this building.

I was able to visit several of the girls, most of them being wary of me and untrusting. But others accepted my small attempts to comfort them. When I got to Naomi, she was too weak to sit up. She looked beaten and bruised and I asked Harry why they had done this to her.

"They're punished if they try to escape. We haven't been able to sell her until she heals." Harry explained.

Disgusted with him, I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't respond. After trying for a while, Harry came in and lifted me up.

"Time to go." He said gently.

"No, I have to help them." I said.

"There's nothing you can do." He replied, locking her up and pulling me to the door.

"But I have to do something! I can't just abandon them." I persisted.

"No, Scarlet. You can't help them." He pulled me from the hallway and back to the elevator.

I hugged myself as we stood inside the elevator and waited for it to reach the top floor, trying to cover up my torso because I was only in a bra. Harry's eyes fell onto my chest, but my arms blocked his view. He just couldn't help himself, the idiot.

Once back upstairs, we walked down the hallway and into Harry's room where we found Louis and Liam. Liam turned and glared at me even though my upper half was only wearing a bra. I noticed Louis give my chest a quick inspection before he tried to pretend he hadn't just checked me out. Harry went to his dresser and brought me a hoodie, which I thankfully, but reluctantly put on because it was his.

"So now you've convinced them to leave every girl alone and not just you? How do you expect us to get off?" Liam snapped at me irritably.

"Maybe get a life and try wooing a girl first, but wait. Nobody will ever want you now, you sick ràpist." I returned hotly.

Liam's eyes went wide with anger. “Well no one will ever want you either. Your cross crossed skin is repulsive to look at.”

I felt like he stabbed me in the heart and I opened my mouth to scream back at him but was interrupted.

"Okay both of you shut the fûck up." Harry stopped us before we got out of control as he looked at his phone with a worried frown.

Liam whispered to me while Harry was distracted, "If I can't have my fun with them, then I'll use you instead."

Louis rolled his eyes and slapped Liam's arm. "We decided we're not going to touch her. So if you do, I'll beat your ass."

"We decided? Where was I during this decision?" Liam scowled.

"Downstairs fûcking and ôrgasming." Louis replied with raised eyebrows.

"Will you all just shut the hell up?" Harry spoke loudly and stepped to the end of the bed where the boys were lounging. "Mates we've got to move."

"I'm not moving. I'm comfortable where I'm at." Louis raised his nose.

"No, it's Declan... He's been spotted close by. We need to go and kill him." Harry said quickly as he held up his phone and went to his wardrobe, taking out a heavy winter coat.

Louis jumped up, heading for the door. "Let's get this son of a bîtch once and for all."

Liam quickly followed while muttering something to Louis, leaving Harry and I alone. Before I knew it, he was fully dressed for the cold outside and he turned to me. "Obviously, you're not coming, so I'll need you to stay in my room and not leave."

"But–"

"No buts. Come here." Harry pulled me over to his bed and sat me down.

I thought he was just going to give me a talk, but suddenly he was taking handcuffs out of his nightstand. Eyes widening, I moved quickly to escape, but he grabbed me and threw me on the bed. He easily wrestled me onto my back and locked one of my hands to the headboard. I glared at him, feeling scared even though I doubted he was going to do anything at a time like this. The feeling was simply instinctual.

"It's only so you don't get any ideas about escaping, even though I know you wouldn't be able to. My men downstairs are too dangerous for you to be wandering around by yourself. I'm just making sure you stay here." Harry explained and got off me.

"Will you kill him?" I asked quietly as I sat up and wiggled my wrist around because it was uncomfortable.

"If I see his face, I'll blow a hole in it for you. I promise." Harry nodded, entering his closet before returning with a few guns.

"Can I have one?" I asked softly.

Harry looked at me suspiciously. "Why? So you can shoot me?"

"If you weren't about to go kill that monster I would. But really I want one in case someone comes in here to hurt me and doesn't care that I'm yo..." I hesitated, not wanting to say I was his out loud, because I absolutely was not his. But other people needed to think I was so they wouldn't mess with me.

"What was that?" Harry questioned, knowing exactly what I hadn't said.

"You know what. I just want a gun, okay." I mumbled, trying to cross my arms but the handcuff on my left wrist prohibited me from being able.

"Say what you were going to say and I'll give you a gun." He arrogantly leaned on one leg and held out a gun tauntingly.

My face growing hot with anger, I scowled at him. "Please give me one?"

He stuck the gun in his pants and shrugged. "Fine, you'll be here defenseless."

"Harry wait!" I sat up, wanting to crush the stupid handcuffs for keeping me immobile.

He stopped and watched me, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Just tell me what I want to hear and I'll give you a gun."

Pushing my pride to the side, I gritted my teeth. "I'm yours."

Grinning, Harry swaggered back over to me cockily and set a gun down on the nightstand. He reached out and gripped my jaw, forcing our faces close together. His intense gaze dropped down to my lips.

"And don't you forget it." He said in a low voice as he smirked.

I jerked away before he could kiss me and snatched the gun. I pointed it at him, which made his smirk disappear.

"Go get rid of that fûcker." I hissed, lowering the barrel.

"Will do, love. Will do." He put the rest of the guns in a bag and then left the room.

I savored the realization that I was alone for once, like actually alone. But I also felt afraid and vulnerable because any of his men could come up here and take advantage of me. However, since they hadn't really come up before, I assumed they wouldn't start now.

So I sat there uncomfortably while I prayed the boys would find Declan and put an end to him. And what if they did? What if they finally were able to kill him? Would Harry even let me go like he said he would in the beginning?

After an hour I was becoming antsy and restless. After two hours I was bored out of my mind. So after six hours I was afraid something had gone wrong and was trying to pick the lock of the handcuffs with a bobby pin. Forty-five attempts later I swore to learn how to pick locks after this was over.

Suddenly, I heard the elevator ding. Freezing, I sat still on the bed and stared at the door worriedly. I heard a few doors opening and closing and had a chilling feeling that it wasn't the boys out there or they would have come straight to me. Fear ran up my spine as I wondered if it was one or more of his men.

When Harry's door knob turned, I held my breath. I picked up the gun and made sure the safety was off, pointing it across the room. The door slowly inched open. I was so anxious I was shaking, because this obviously wasn't the boys. What if it was Declan himself?

But then I was entirely confused and relieved when Zayn's face peeked in.

"Zayn?" I squeaked in surprise, clutching my heart as it practically thudded out of my chest.

"Are they gone?" He whispered, still standing there in the doorway.

"They've gone to find Declan. Why are you here? And how did you get in? I thought you went to check on my family. Are they alright?" I asked a flurry of questions as I leaned forward, concerned about my loved ones.

"Scarlet I'm sorry..." His face had guilt written all over it as he looked at me, still not coming closer.

"What? What happened?" My voice got really quiet as a thousand terrible scenarios ran through my head

"I had to...there was no other way." He looked positively spent.

"Zayn you're scaring me. Is my family alright? Are they safe? Answer me!" I demanded to know.

"Mommy?"

My son poked his little head passed Zayn and I almost fainted. 

My heart completely stopped beating. A million different emotions filled my soul as I stared at him. Relief, anger, disbelief, horror, fear, joy. But mostly joy.

"Caspian?!" I cried, my vision blurring as the little boy ran to me on his short stubby legs.

Unable to move because of the damn handcuffs, I reached down and picked him up with one hand and he threw his arms around me. I clutched him in a death grip as I broke down in sobs.


	46. Caspian

My little boy was right there in my arms. At last.

And I couldn't properly embrace him because I was chained to the fûcking bed.

"Oh my gosh, Caspian!" I choked out, clutching the little boy tightly against me.

His small fingers were wrapped in my hair and soon I felt his wet lips kissing my cheek. "Mommy!"

I pulled him back after a moment and let him stand on the bed in front of me while I looked over him. He was smiling like he was the happiest boy on earth as he joyfully bounced up and down. He didn't seem to be hurt from what I could see. I held his hands and he just squealed in delight, his dark curls flopping around.

"Oh baby I missed you." I breathed, staring at his beautiful blue eyes.

"I wuv you!" He said in a high pitched voice.

"I love you too sweetheart. Did you miss me?" I asked him.

"I miss you." He nodded seriously, agreeing with me.

I suddenly realized my son was actually here...in possibly the most dangerous place ever. I looked passed him at Zayn who was watching us nervously. When our eyes met he perked up in anxiousness and fidgeted with his hands. I suddenly felt angered at him and my face grew hot.

"Why did you bring him here? Do you not realize where we are? Why would you–"

He interrupted quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't have a choice. I had to bring him somewhere safe."

"This place isn't safe!" I shouted, but quickly comforted Caspian when he looked startled.

I sat him on my lap and he began playing with the handcuffs on my wrist, trying to take them off. I shook my head in disbelief.

"Where's the rest of my family? Why didn't you bring them too?" I wanted to know as I drew Caspian's attention away from the handcuffs. He looked up at me and gave me a dimpled grin. His dimples had gotten deeper and I felt lightheaded when they reminded me of Harry.

Zayn stepped across the room carefully and stood beside the bed, eyeing the cuffs worriedly. "Declan had shown up at their house. That's when your dad texted me, but when I went to help them, it was too late. I couldn't get them all away from Declan's men so I had to take Caspian or risk getting us both captured."

"Wait so..." I swallowed hard. "You mean to tell me my parents and my brother have been taken by Declan?!"

He nodded glumly.

I tried to hold in my tears. I tried not to scream and yell and panic. It was just all too much for me to bear. One thing after the next just kept happening to me and nothing seemed to be going right...except for the fact that I was holding the one I loved most in the world in my arms. I kissed his curly head to comfort myself and calm my beating heart. Now was not the time to have a panic attack. I fought against it.

"They are in unspeakable danger, Zayn. We have to rescue them. Declan might...kill them." I mouthed the word kill as Caspian snuggled against me and held onto my hoodie—Harry's hoodie.

"Where are the boys?" Zayn asked.

"They went out to find Declan. Can you find the keys for these handcuffs?" I asked him.

"I'm sorry I had to bring him here. I just panicked and didn't know where else to go. I knew he would be safe here if I could get in without being caught." Zayn said, rifling through Harry's things.

"He's not safe here... How did no one see you?" I asked, threading my fingers through Caspian's hair. His chubby fingers were clutching my clothes as if he thought I'd disappear.

"I paid the doorman off. He'll probably tell Harry anyway because he knows who I am, but at least I got in." Zayn shrugged, holding up a small key. He came over and unlocked the handcuffs.

"Now help me find a coat. We're leaving." I said quickly, picking Caspian up and getting off the bed.

"Leaving now?" Zayn questioned.

"There is absolutely no way in hell that I am letting Harry see Caspian. He will never know he has a son." I declared.

"Do you think that's the best idea to leave? You'll be vulnerable out there. And with Caspian? We'll be easy to find and take out." Zayn pointed out.

"Don't argue with me. Earlier today you were set on taking me with you. You'll protect us and we'll go straight to the police and stay there until Declan is arrested or Harry finds him first."

I went to put Caspian down, but he whined and clung to my neck so I continued to hold him. Zayn went through Harry's closet and came out with a thick coat and hat. He helped me put them on with Caspian stubbornly clinging to me.

I felt a sudden urgency to leave before the boys came back. They'd been gone all day and it was starting to get dark. "I just...I don't want to make any more bad decisions. My first priority is Caspian. All I want is to keep him safe and away from Harry."

"I don't think we should leave. After seeing how easily Declan captured your family I've changed my mind. You don't know how easy it'll be for us to be found." Zayn looked torn.

"Well it isn't up to you. We'll go straight to the police this time. Maybe that's what I should have done in the first place." I decided and made sure Caspian's winter clothes were all zipped up and securely wrapped around him. It was freezing outside and still snowing.

My arms began to hurt from carrying him, but I didn't want to put him down. I just wasn't used to carrying him anymore after sitting and lying down all day every day lately. And Declan had made my body weak and fragile. Zayn noticed my pained face and moved to take him, but I shook my head.

"I can't let him go." I whispered. "Let's get out of here before they come back."

"Getting out may be a little harder than getting in..." Zayn mused as he followed me out the door.

I walked down the wide corridor to the elevator and pushed the down button.

"Let's take the stairs." Zayn decided and led the way to a door which had a sign on it that read "stairs."

Caspian held onto my neck and rested his head on my shoulder. He'd gotten bigger after all these months. How many months had it been? I guessed it was January...I wasn't entirely sure. So four months I'd been separated from my baby. And in only four months from now he would turn three.

We crept down the stairs quietly and went down several floors. Zayn kept putting a finger to his mouth as we passed many doors. I softly explained to Caspian without scaring him that he needed to be as quiet as possible. I made it a game. He didn't understand everything yet, but I managed to get him to desperately want to be as quiet as possible.

He held a hand over his mouth as he held onto me. My arms began aching under his weight, but I defiantly held him as we continued down the stairs. At a certain landing, Zayn carefully opened a door, peeking outside of it. I watched him take a gun out of the waistband of his jeans and point it at the ground.

I clutched Caspian against me in fear.

What if we were caught? What if the guards stopped us and locked us up? What if they took Caspian from me or killed Zayn? Nobody here liked him.

Zayn opened the door and motioned for me to follow. He held up the gun and walked silently into the darkened room. It was enormous with boxes and crates and all sorts of cages piled around. Chains hung from the ceilings and I could hear faint cries coming from another room. My stomach twisted as I realized I was leaving the girls here without helping them.

I promised myself I would come back for them. I would rescue them from the same torment I was forced to endure.

We snuck along the side of the room, hiding behind piles of crates. Voices could be heard from the other side of the room. Light bulbs hanging from the ceiling blinked and cast eerie shadows everywhere. The smell of death and blood filled my nostrils and I felt like I wanted to puke. It smelled like Declan's basement.

Zayn finally came to another door and cautiously opened it, checking the other side. My heart was thumping madly in fear of being caught as we snuck along. Caspian was hiding his face in my heavy coat now, clearly feeling scared. I made sure to keep his face pushed into the fur lining of my coat. I didn't want him seeing any of these horrors.

"That's the exit." Zayn breathed in my ear as he wrapped an arm around me and pointed through the crack in the door at another door where a man with tattoos covering his body stood.

He looked bored, but alert. He was leaning against the wall and fingering a gun strapped to his hip. Magically, we heard a voice yell someone's name and the guard sighed deeply before walking away from the door. Zayn guided me out of the huge room and toward the door.

"Freedoms on the other side of this door, love. Now shh." Zayn put a finger to his lips, glancing back and forth.

I bounced Caspian like I used to do when he was a baby and I heard him make a little whimpering sound. He was scared. Zayn reached out to grab the door handle, but suddenly the door was pushed open from the outside.

Time seemed to stop as we came face to face with Harry.

At first he seemed confused when he noticed Zayn first, but then his expression turned dark. "What the hell?"

My mouth opened in horror as I stared at him, Louis, and Liam, my grip on my son tightening so much that he whined in discomfort. Harry's eyes whipped to me and it took a moment before he noticed the little human in my arms. And then he was completely confused.

Not wasting another second, I didn't know what to do and so I turned and ran. I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going but all I knew was that I needed to get away from him. How could I hide Caspian? There was a simple answer.

I couldn't.

"Scarlet!" Harry's deep voice echoed off the cold cement walls and then I heard running feet after me.

I ran until I came to a dead end where a barred window was. Tears were stinging my eyes as panic began to fill me.

Harry couldn't see Caspian. He couldn't. He couldn't. He couldn't. He might hurt him or take him or make him like himself.

I went all the way to the end of the passageway and stood in the corner, holding Caspian so his face was hidden from view. Several footsteps were behind me and I heard a loud punching sound. It was okay, Zayn could take care of himself. All I cared about then was my baby.

The four boys were arguing, all talking at once and there was a ruckus so I knew Zayn was trying to get them away from me. My heart was beating too fast and my breaths were so rapid I felt I might faint. I was panicking. I knelt down and huddled in the corner, hiding Caspian for as long as I could.

"Mommy. I'm scared." Caspian whined, not pronouncing his r.

"It's okay baby, it's alright. Mommy won't let anything happen to you. You're safe. Don't worry my love." I whispered to him even though my voice was shaking and my body was trembling and I was starting to hyperventilate.

"Scarlet."

The voices had suddenly stopped and then I only heard Harry's as he spoke my name softly but firmly.

I whimpered, knowing this was the end of the line. There was nothing I could do to keep my secret now. Everything was blown.

"Who is that?" Harry asked me.

My face was pushed into the corner and Caspian was squished between me and the wall. I didn't want to turn around and face him.

"Answer me." Harry ordered.

"My cousin." I squeaked barely audibly.

"Your cousin?" He questioned.

"I told you about him before." I said, turning my head.

Caspian began squirming.

"Shh, baby." I comforted him.

Harry suddenly stepped closer until he was standing over us. I peeked back and saw his boots two feet away.

"Why are you so determined to keep him hidden from me." Harry inquired.

Because he looks just like you.

"I don't want you to hurt anyone else I love." I answered truthfully.

"Looking at him won't hurt him. Just stand up. I promise I won't hurt him. I just want to know why the hell he is here." He said.

My throat hurt as I held back tears and turned my gaze upward. "I...I..."

Harry bent down and reached out to me, seeing the dark curly head of my son. His eyes flickered up to meet mine and he spoke calmly. "I promise. I won't hurt him."

"Your promises mean nothing to me." I spat, loathing the way his thumb brushed away my tears. His touch was like poison. He had hurt me, ràped me, destroyed my mind, destroyed my innocence, my life. I wouldn't let him destroy my baby.

"Come on." Harry murmured, pulling on my arm.

My lips trembled as I was forced to turn around, revealing Caspian's little body. I sat there, cradling him protectively. I tried to keep him from looking up, but he turned his face up anyway and blinked at Harry curiously.

I couldn't tear my gaze away from Harry's face as he stared at Caspian for the first time. His cheeks slowly drained of color as his angry expression turned to one of complete disbelief. But it was suspicious disbelief, like he was untrusting of his own eyes.

"What the bloody hell—" Harry mumbled, wavering on his knee.

Zayn spoke up quickly. "He's mine. She didn't want you to know. But he's mine."

Harry's green eyes flashed with intensity as he whipped his head back at Zayn. "He's not yours. Scarlet told me you two never had sex."

And then his attention was back on Caspian and his face was filled with confusion and awe and utter disbelief. "Scarlet fûcking O'Hara."

"Don't swear in front of him." I interrupted, leaning my cheek against his curls.

Caspian was still looking at Harry shyly.

Harry frowned, his jaw clenching as he studied every part of the boy’s features, seeming to be afraid of moving closer or further away. "He has curly hair. Dimples. Red lips. Blue eyes like yours. Same nose as me. Scarlet what the bloody fûcking hell is this child."

I hugged him, feeling a tear fall from my eye and drip onto Caspian's hair. I didn't want to tell him, even though it was now painfully obvious. Just by taking one look at the little boy, anyone would be able to see the impossibly clear resemblance to Harry.

"What is he?" Harry repeated, becoming agitated.

I covered Caspian's ears so I could raise my voice. "He's my freaking son! He has a name and he is a human being. He was never meant to see you!"

Harry's face darkened as his voice dropped to a menacing growl. "And you thought it was a good idea to keep this from me?"

"Obviously. You know how I feel about you. He will never know who you are." I hissed.

"This boy is my son?" Harry said, still sounding unsure.

"No, he's mine! He's not yours so stay away from him. I will not let you touch him, speak to him, or even look at him. Now get the hell away from us." I spat at him, clutching Caspian who was completely confused and worried. He held onto my thumb.

"You don't get to tell me what to do. I get to do whatever I want. You should have told me about him! Damn you Scarlet." Harry groaned, running a hand through his hair as he stood up.

"You don't care! You wouldn't care at all and I care deeply. He's my life. He's the only reason I'm alive right now." I said.

Harry's chest rose and fell as he shot daggers at me with his gaze. He was fuming mad, but also confused and overwhelmed and I could tell he was ready to explode.

And then he did.

"Liam hold her for me." Harry ordered coolly.

"What?" I asked, heart dropping.

"Liam now." Harry repeated.

And then Liam was hurrying toward me and he reached down and grabbed me. Louis held Zayn back when he moved to help me.

"Let go. Don't touch me!" I cried as I was yanked to my feet as I clutched my son.

Liam was behind me holding me around my middle as Harry stepped toward me. He reached out and took hold of Caspian.

And then I snapped.

"Don't! Harry don't touch him!" I shouted, holding onto him as hard as I could.

But Liam was yanking on my arms from behind and Harry was wrestling me in the front and I couldn't keep a grip on Caspian without hurting him and so I was forced to let go. I thrashed in Liam's arms as Harry brought Caspian close to his chest, looking at him blankly. Caspian saw my distress and started crying and trying to get down from Harry's arms.

"Let him go! Give him back to me! He's mine! Not yours! I don't want your sick murdering ràpist hands on him!" I screamed.

Harry walked backward and then handed Caspian to Zayn. Louis still held onto Zayn though so he couldn't come help me. My fighting lessened when Caspian was in someone's arms whom I trusted, but I still wanted him with me. But then Harry was directly in front of me and he grabbed my jaw painfully hard.

"You little bîtch." He hissed angrily.

I didn't know what he was thinking. He wasn't just angry or just surprised, or just in disbelief. He was so many emotions at once that I couldn't read him.

"Please don't hurt him." I whispered, pulling against Liam's unwavering strength.

Harry suddenly slapped me across the face. I gasped as my head turned.

"How dare you keep this from me." He muttered under his breath.

And then he gripped me in his fists and yanked me away from Liam. He held my arms behind me and forced me to walk forward. I fought to stay with Zayn and Caspian but Harry was much stronger and he forcefully made me leave them. Louis didn't look at me. I was begging Harry as he pushed me down some stairs and through a heavy door.

We entered the corridor of cells where the girls were held and I was confused.

"Let me go Harry. Let me go back to him. What are you doing?!" I cried as he shoved my into an empty cell so harshly that I collapsed onto the ground.

He slammed the door shut and locked it. His face was red as he glared at me. I scrambled to my feet and pounded on the metal bars separating us.

"Let me out of here! What are you doing?" I screamed at him.

The other girls in the cells were watching with interest but I wasn't paying attention to them. Harry refused to answer me as he moved away from my cell and began stalking down the hallway.

"Harry! You can't lock me in here! What about the guards? What if they hurt me?! Harry! You fûcking piece of shît let me out! Don't you fûcking dare touch my son or I'll rip your damn head off! Harry let me out of here! Don't touch him! He's not yours! Don't hurt him! Harry! I hate you! I hate you, you fûcking piece of shît!"

I kept screaming at him, even after he'd left me there locked in one of the sex slave cells and the door was slammed shut. I kept screaming. I screamed in horror and agony and anger and frustration at everything terrible that summed up my life. I was sure the girls thought I was insane, but I couldn't stop myself from screaming out loud until my voice was hoarse and gone and I was lying in a heap on the floor with tears dropping onto the dirty cement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think.


	47. He's Mine

My body was cold. I felt dead. I'd been lying on the freezing floor for a long time, but I hadn't slept. I couldn't sleep when I knew my son was in this very building in the possession of the very demons I hated the most. It also didn't help that whenever I closed my eyes, their faces would be in front of mine while they took advantage of me in my helpless dreaming state.

What was happening up there now? What was Harry doing with Caspian? I hoped Zayn was protecting him like he always promised he would. After I had calmed down from my rage, I had wept on the floor. None of the girls tried speaking to me, but I was sure they knew who I was by now.

I had given my coat to the girl next to me so I shivered on the floor, cradling my hands close to my face. At the sound of the heavy metal door opening, I lifted my head and then jumped to my feet. I grasped the bars that imprisoned me and strained to see who it was. I prayed that it would be Zayn or Harry coming with Caspian.

But my heart dropped as I caught sight of three men appearing to be in their thirties swaggering down the long passageway. They started pointing and talking to each other. Scared, I curled myself into the corner to look like the other girls. Hopefully they wouldn't notice me.

"Hey who's this? I don't recognize her." They had stopped in front of my cell.

I kept my face hidden, but I heard them unlocking the door anyway. My heart pounded as I felt strong hands grasp my hair roughly and yank my head back. I winced in pain as the shaggy blond haired man smirked at my face and licked his lips.

"Who found this angel? Look at her. She's perfect compared to the others." He rasped, gesturing for the others to come closer.

The other two, an Asian and a brunette, crowded around and raised their eyebrows at me. The blond grabbed my wrist and seemed to be looking for something. He looked down at me.

"She doesn't have a wrist band. Girl, are you a virgin?" He asked.

I nodded yes, hoping that would mean they wouldn't try anything. If they did I'd just show them my tattoo.

"You little liar. I love how they can never lie without being obvious." He laughed and then yanked me to my feet harshly.

I gasped and caught his arm, hating that my voice shook. "You can't touch me. I'm Harry's."

"Oh we know. All you bîtches are his. But he likes to share sometimes." He smirked and then was suddenly holding a knife to my throat.

"Wait! No, I'm–"

"Shut up or I'll cut you." He growled while the others looked on.

"Please." I tried lifting my shirt to show them the tattoo.

He ignored my efforts however and promptly cut Harry's hoodie in half, yanking it down my arms. I gasped as he ripped my sweater with his bare hands and tore it off me.

"I belong to him! He'll kill you if you hurt me. Please stop! Look at my tattoo!" I cried as he yanked down my bra. Tears stung my eyes as I felt humiliated and objectified standing half naked in front of these perverted men.

"Whoa hold on bro. Actually look at her tattoo." One of the others spoke up sounding worried.

The blond moved away after harshly sucking on my neck for a few horrible seconds. He was holding my arms against the wall so he could see all of my exposed torso. I looked away in shame and fear. He suddenly let go of me.

"Shît. Shît. Shît!" He hissed, eyes wide. And then he was suddenly begging me. "Please don't tell Harry about this. I'm sorry."

"Tell me about what?" Harry's voice suddenly spoke from the end of the hall.

Now free, I covered my naked breasts and stood there, shaking in relief.

The blond guy frantically tried putting the hoodie back on me, but the front was cut open. I shrank away from his touch, but held the ruined hoodie to my chest. And then he stepped away from me quickly when Harry came into view, standing in front of the cell with his arms crossed.

Harry immediately saw me shirtless and his eyes glinted with fury. He whipped his attention to his men. "Who the fûck–"

"It was Tim!" The brunette pointed at the blond guy. "We had nothing to do with it."

Harry dragged the frightened blond guy out of my cell and threw him onto the floor like he weighed nothing. I was surprised at his strength. He towered over the man who held his hands up.

"I'm sorry boss I didn't know she was–"

I gasped in shock when Harry took a gun from his belt and shot the guy in the leg. He screamed in agony and then Harry looked up at the others while I covered my mouth.

"The next person who touches her is dead." He growled, eyes flashing in anger. "Get him out of here."

I stood frozen in shock as the men carried their injured buddy away. My body was shivering with cold, fear, and surprise and I hardly noticed Harry move until he was in front of me. He lifted his own sweatshirt over his head and handed it to me.

I took it only because I didn't want to be exposed and turned around to put it on. Once fully dressed again, I turned and looked at him. I hadn't expected him to shoot the guy, but I was kind of thankful that he did. Maybe now the rest would know not to come near me.

"Did they hurt you?" He asked, seeming to have a difficult time looking me in the eye.

"You should have considered the possibility of that happening when you put me down here, àsshole. But that doesn't matter right now." I spoke quietly, calming my nerves so I could function properly. I took a breath. "What have you done with my son?"

"Caspian? The boy you decided not to tell me was mine?" He sassed, crossing his arms.

"Don't. You know exactly why I wouldn't want to tell you. Is he alright? Did you hurt him?" I pressed, desperate to know how my little boy was doing.

"You really think I would hurt a child? No, I didn't hurt him." He sounded offended, but understanding of why I would think that of him.

"I want to see him." I said urgently.

"Not yet. You're going to tell me everything. How is he mine?" He inquired seriously. He clearly wasn't going to let me out until he got what he wanted out of me.

I leaned back against the wall and decided I would cooperate so he would let me out sooner. "Fine. But first let's get something straight. He is not yours. He might have been brought into existence because of you, but he is anything but your son, understand?"

He pursed his lips, momentarily thinking about something, but then he sighed. "For now. Anyway, how is he mine?"

"Babies are a result of sex.” I mocked, but then explained when he simply glared at me. “It must have been the last time you ràped me the night you let me go. You didn't wear a condom." I said softly.

"I didn't?" He frowned, trying to remember. "Oh. I suppose I was just too wrapped up in lust."

"Like always." I glared at him.

He ignored my comment. "When was he born?"

"May. He's almost three." I said reluctantly.

Harry gazed off into the distance for a moment. "How was the...birth? Were you okay?"

"One of the most painful experiences of my life. But I've had many, so..." I shrugged.

He reached out and touched my cheek almost tenderly, but I slapped his hand away.

"What else do you want to know?" I asked quickly.

"Well, actually I just wanted to explain why I acted like I did up there." He tilted his head to the side and lowered his eyebrows into that brooding expression he always wore.

"And? You slapped me in front of him. Great first impression." I said sarcastically.

He raised his hand as if to strike me, but he only held it there when I flinched. "And I'll do it again if you make me cross."

I breathed deeply in anger as I opened my mouth to go on a rant about how much I hated him, but he smacked his palm over my mouth.

"Let me explain myself. I know you hate me, you don't have to keep telling me." He growled.

I jerked my face away and scowled at the wall.

Harry ran a hand through his curls and ruffled them up a bit before saying, "I was angry you didn't tell me about him. I know why you didn't, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. It just reminds me of how much you hate me and how I'll never win you over. It all just piled up at once—all the frustration, all the anger—and I snapped. I acted rashly and I shouldn't have slapped you in front of him."

Rather surprised at his confession, I shifted my position and waited for him to continue.

"I was so angry that I wanted to punish you. It's the only way I know how to deal with anger. To hurt you. So I did the worst thing I could think of that wasn't sex. You clearly loved him, so I separated you and made you think maybe I'd hurt him. I just...wanted to punish you. I didn't think about my men possibly finding you." He shrugged, not making eye contact now.

I wanted more from him, but doubted I would get it. I was glad for his explanation, but it didn't make anything he did alright. I was still angry at him for taking me away from Caspian.

When I remained silent, Harry huffed. "That's it."

I sighed, staring at my hands in silence.

"What more do you want?" He questioned, sensing I wanted something.

Glancing up at his green eyes, I shook my head. "I want an apology."

He scoffed, but then became serious when he noticed I was anything but amused. "I'm sorry. I'm actually genuinely sorry this time. I keep doing the wrong thing and pushing you further away. I don't think I will ever figure out how to make you love me."

Rolling my eyes, I gave him a look of disgust. "You'd have to completely change everything about yourself for me to love you. And still I wouldn't because of everything you've done to me. Can I see Caspian now?"

His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. "See? You never give me a chance. You gave Zayn a chance, yet he's ràped just as many women as me. You even treat Louis differently and he was the worst to you before. But me? You just have to make sure I know how much you desperately hate me."

"Zayn's different. Even Louis is starting to learn from his mistakes. But you just keep making the same mistakes and you never learn from them!" I snapped back.

He frowned, staring at me intently. "You're right."

Caught of guard, I blinked and then stepped to the side so I wouldn't feel so trapped between him and the wall. But he followed me.

"I'll let you see Caspian now..." He whispered, glancing at the floor.

"Thank you." I moved from my position, but he pushed me back against the wall.

His breath fanned my face. "I want to kiss you first."

"Harry–"

"No, no. I just...bloody hell Scarlet. You have a son. We have a son and I don't know what the fûck that means. I'm no father. I'm not going to steal him from you. I just...I want to know him. Because he's your blood."

"I don't understand you." I whispered, completely confused.

One minute he was slapping me, the next wanting to kiss me, and the next telling me he wants to see my son.

He held my face still, leaning forward until our mouths were almost touching. I pushed him, but he shoved his body hard against mine to trap me.

"I want to kiss you, love. Only kiss you. Please, let me. Please." He murmured against my lips.

Harry Styles was begging me? I stared into his piercing eyes.

"I will never let you, ràpist." I hissed.

His eyebrows drew together and his upper lip twitched. "I want you to love me."

"I don't."

"I love you." He said.

"I hate you." I returned quickly.

"Dammit Scarlet I've never told anybody on this whole damn earth that I love them except for you. And it means nothing to you." He raised his voice.

"It means nothing if you don't show me you love me. Maybe start by working on that and maybe I'll believe it."

"I love you. You will know it someday. I'll find a way to make you believe it." He whispered urgently and then forced his lips onto mine.

I made a little surprised noise as he pushed his face hard into me and pinned my wrists against the cold wall. I felt his teeth bite at my lip and I tried to turn my head, but he followed. His body was pressed against me so firmly that I couldn't kick his balls.

"Harry no..." I gasped out when he bent his head and kissed my neck fervently.

"Kiss me back. Please love." He begged, looking into my eyes briefly before latching his lips onto my mouth again.

I moaned in refusal and stubbornly kept my teeth locked together when his tongue shot out and caressed my bottom lip. When he pinched me and I gasped, he shoved his tongue into my mouth. And so I bit it, dangerously hard. Honestly I was surprised I didn't bite it off.

He groaned, ceasing his kisses and holding his mouth. He glared at me and then looked at his hand, seeing blood. I simply teared up, shaking my head in disappointment. I refused to let him see how scared I was because of his actions so I pushed past him and walked out of the cell.

I was breathless, having hoped that he would be able to control himself this time. Clearly he still didn't care about me enough to ignore his lust. He always asked me for second chances, but then he always had to go and do something like that.

I hated him.

Harry followed and walked beside me. He didn't say anything, only touched his tongue and glanced at me. He was probably annoyed with himself for failing so miserably again at leaving me alone. But I also knew he didn't actually care.

We walked quickly down the corridor away from the torn clothes and silent girls who had listened to our whole confrontation.


	48. Daddy

When Harry and I finally arrived back upstairs, he led me to his room and opened the door. I hurried in, shrinking away from Harry's hand which moved to hold my waist. He knew I hated being touched and yet he still did it all the time.

I spotted Caspian bouncing on the bed while Louis sat on the edge, smiling the brightest smile I've seen on him in a long time while he watched my little boy. When he noticed us come in however, his smile disappeared and he stood up.

Caspian found me and in his excitement he stumbled and fell over onto the bed. He lifted his curly head and grinned. "Mommy."

I went over and held my arms out while he crawled toward me and hugged me with his chubby arms. "Are you alright?"

“I'm hungry!" He said in a high pitched voice.

My stomach dropped, wondering how long he'd been without food. I myself hadn't eaten in way too long and realized that was the reason I had a terrible headache and my body felt weak.

"Harry. Can you get us some food and water?" I asked, picking Caspian up and walking over to the couch.

"Oh. I forgot about that." He mumbled, watching us with a frown as he stood there.

"I can get some." Louis offered, awkwardly shuffling toward the door. He turned back and caught my eye before nodding to Caspian. "He's a cute little lad."

I gave him a forced smile and kissed my son's head. When Louis had left, I made sure Caspian was alright physically. He seemed content, but a little confused as to what was going on. It appeared he wasn't harmed at all.

"Holy crap where's Zayn?" I suddenly remembered my fiancé.

Harry raised an eyebrow judgmentally. "You obviously care about that dîck a whole lot."

"In case you haven't noticed, I have a lot on my mind. What did you do to him? Where is he?" I demanded.

"Relax, love. He's next door with Liam. He was getting annoying so I chained him up in the bar." He shrugged.

"Would you bring him in here?" I asked.

"Nah. He's a shîthead so I don't want him around." He shook his head and rifled through his dresser, taking out some clothes.

"Don't swear in front of him, Harry." I whispered.

"Oh." He glanced over at us. "Right. He does learn new words fast. I taught him my name."

I desperately wished I could burn him alive with my gaze. "You did what? I don't want him knowing your name! I don't want him knowing anything about you. After this, you won't exist in his life."

"He seemed to trust me a little more when he could call me something. I just wanted to get to know him a little." Harry said defensively.

I sighed, feeling so much stress over this whole situation. I brushed Caspian's curls out of his eyes and watched him play with my hair. Harry changed into different clothes—a unique looking black suit with designs all over it. He spent some time in the bathroom and came out with his hair styled nicely and his jaw shaved clean. I hated how attractive that monster was. He saw my questioning look.

"I'm having a meeting with everyone about Declan." He told me.

"You didn't catch him? I forgot to ask." I wanted to know.

"No, we didn't. Never even got a glimpse of him." He said.

"Daddy?" Caspian piped up.

I nearly had a heart attack. I whipped my eyes up to Harry in hate. I had thought he simply told Caspian his name was Harry. "That's the name you taught him?!"

Harry gave me a smug look and swaggered over to us. "Yes, it is. Yes, son?"

My entire body boiled in rage and fear and horror and a thousand other emotions as Harry kneeled down and looked at Caspian intently. The little boy leaned forward eagerly.

"I want my twuck. Can I have my twuck?" He spoke up excitedly.

I was confused at what he meant until Harry chuckled and stood up. He went to the nightstand and took out his car keys. I huffed when I noticed a little red truck keychain that was attached. He came back over and kneeled down again.

"What's my name again?" Harry asked, holding the keys just out of reach and I glared at him.

"Daddy." Caspian answered, reaching as far as he could until Harry gave him the keys. He started playing with the little car immediately and showing it to me.

"Yes, that's great sweetheart." I smiled at him to make him happy, but I was internally screaming at Harry.

Harry simply stood up, hands on hips. "Just be thankful I never made you call me Daddy when I fûcked you or this would be awkward."

My cheeks flamed with humiliation as my gaze flicked up to him. "Harry shut up."

He only laughed at my reaction and then went to look at himself in the mirror over his dresser. Just then Louis returned with a bag and came over to us. He handed it to me and then stood there awkwardly for a moment. I unpacked the food and Caspian eagerly began munching away on a banana. The room was silent, filled with tension because of Harry's comment, Louis' awkwardness, and my obvious stress.

"Welp," Louis broke the silence, "not that this isn't any fun, but I'm going to go see how Liam is doing." He announced and swiftly left the room again.

I kept eating and helping Caspian eat, trying to ignore Harry's presence. I was so hungry I ate the entire sandwich, a small bag of chips, a banana, and the whole bottle of water. I needed to get my strength back and muscles back on my body. My arms were thin and I actually had a thigh gap for the first time in my life.

"So um. I guess I'll go now. I've got a meeting." Harry spoke up, stepping backward toward the door as he smoothed a stray hair off his forehead.

"Okay." I shrugged, glad to have him gone.

"Stay here. Don't wander around. Obviously you know not to leave this floor." He told me, grabbing the door handle

"I'll do what I want." I answered, but intended not to try to leave.

He frowned, shaking his head and leaving the room. A second later after I'd breathed a deep sigh of relief, Harry poked his head back in and whispered, "I love you Scarlet..."

"No you don't." I glared.

He sighed and then left for good, while I rolled my eyes and grew frustrated. I didn't understand how he could believe that he loved me. I had told him before it was only lust that he felt. It was true he hadn't ràped me recently like he used to. He'd only done it once, which was still one too many times. But I couldn't bring myself to treat him differently or try to understand what he felt toward me. He had simply done too many horrific things to me.

Liam came in later and said he was supposed to watch me. He acted as though Caspian were an alien he had no idea how to communicate with. He avoided looking at him and froze when the boy went over to him. That was fine with me. I didn't want the boys to touch him with their murdering ràpist hands.

It was incredibly calming to have Caspian with me. He was talking in his little toddler way and wanting me to play with him. He was so happy to be with me that he was running around and laughing and having fun making Liam uncomfortable.

"Scarlet would you control your child?" Liam whined, cradling his hands to his chest when Caspian neared him again.

"Caspian, come play over here." I motioned for him to come to me and he quickly obeyed, but not before roaring at Liam like a lion.

Liam simply sniffed in discomfort, but tried not to show how anxious he was.

"You know you don't have to be in here. Why don't you go out and find Declan?" I suggested casually.

"Um, cuz I'd get slaughtered on my own. His men are in this town. We saw them and it's only a matter of time before they discover this place. I'd like to wait as long as possible to see that crazy son of a bîtch again." Liam told me seriously.

"Why not just meet him somewhere and ambush him?" I asked. "There are so many ways you could find him and kill him. I think you're all just putting it off because you know that when he's gone, I'm leaving."

"Trust me, I want you to leave. It's true that you were a good fûck and I liked the way you submissively let me pleasure you. I know I made you feel good. It was honestly heavenly fûcking your sweet luscious body, but I just can't stand to have you around any longer ruining our lives. We've been stuck hiding for months because of you. And like I said before, it's your fault Niall's dead, Louis' going soft, and Harry's an angry mess all the time." Liam finished.

"No. All of that is your fault. None of this would be happening if you hadn't ràped me in the first place." I defended myself, not letting him make me seem like the one to blame in all of this. None of this was my fault and I needed to stay strong and keep believing that.

"Whatever bîtch. You're the most troublesome slût we've ever had and I wish Harry never chose you!" Liam snapped, standing up and heading for the door.

"I am not those things!" I raised my voice, but then comforted Caspian when he looked alarmed.

"The only reason we aren't fûcking you or the girls downstairs is because Harry cares about you. But I'm in desperate need of a whôre to shag and if you don't let me have you, I'm taking them." Liam threatened, walking out the door and slamming it closed.

"No! Liam don't!" I picked up Caspian and hoisted him onto my hip as I ran for the door.

He had locked me inside however. I groaned in frustration, but then I remembered Harry's door to the clubbing room. I dashed over to it and thankfully it was unlocked. I went through and spotted Louis and Zayn over by the bar. Zayn was sitting on the floor with hands behind his back while Louis stood in front of him, drinking from a bottle.

"Louis! Go stop Liam, quickly! He's going to ràpe the girls." I rushed across the room and glanced at Zayn.

I gasped in worry when I caught sight of bruises on his face and his bleeding lip. He looked up at me weakly.

"Louis! What have you done to him?" I cried and then noticed Louis was drinking.

My heart stopping in anxiety because I didn't want him to take advantage of me again, I set Caspian down beside Zayn and marched in front of Louis and hissed, "You àsshole. I thought you'd learned not to get drunk anymore after what you did to me last time."

And then I snatched the bottle from him while he opened his mouth to defend himself and I hurled it across the bar. It shattered against the mirror there and broke several other glasses and bottles.

Louis turned to me and held his hands up defensively. "It was only sparkling cider. Bloody hell Scar it's not alcoholic."

Relieved, but still upset, I huffed. "Okay... But what did you do to Zayn? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Zayn answered, trying to sound brave.

I knelt beside my fiancé and lightly touched his cheek. He tried not to show pain, but I knew him so well that I could tell my touch hurt him so I rested my hand on his shoulder instead. Caspian sat on his lap and frowned.

Louis stood there with his hands in his pockets. "Most of that was from when we first ran into you all when you were trying to escape. We got a bit angry with him for attempting to take you. But I also beat him up a little just now. He was being annoying."

"Don't touch him anymore." I murmured, kissing Zayn's temple.

"I'm fine, love. Really." Zayn assured me, shifting in his uncomfortable position on the floor.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot. Louis. You have to go find Liam because he got mad at me and said he was going to ràpe the girls downstairs. Please stop him." I begged, looking up at him.

"What?" Louis glanced behind him. "Harry told us not to though."

"Then go stop him!" I urged.

Just then, we were all startled when a loud alarm began honking throughout the room. Red lights flashed at each corner of the room and Louis jumped, eyes wide. Caspian started crying and I held him close to my body, covering his ears.

"Fûck." Louis cursed, grabbing his hair. "Someone's trying to get inside the building. Come on this way!"

My heart pounded in alarm as I helped Zayn up and carried Caspian across the room after Louis. I didn't want to ask if it was Declan. We all knew there was a pretty good chance that it was, but none of us wanted to say it. Louis yanked open the door while the alarm continued to blare.

Harry appeared in the hall and he ran up to us out of breath. "Declan and his men are trying to get inside."

I felt lightheaded as the words left his lips. The man who had tortured me mercilessly, stripped me naked, starved me, and probably had captured my family was somewhere outside.

Right outside.


	49. Face to Face With a Demon

The sirens were deafening and made my heart beat rapidly and my body tense in panic. Harry brought us to the stairs rather than the elevator and opened the door at the top. I was shaking all of a sudden and having a hard time holding Caspian who was much heavier than he used to be—not to mention I'd become so weak.

"Unlock me someone!" Zayn demanded with his hands still behind his back as the six of us hurried to the stairs.

"Unlock yourself." Liam grumbled, and shoved the handcuffs key into Zayn's hand.

I was so shaky and scared that I stumbled on the top step. My body moved forward and I thought I was going to fall all the way down to the next landing. But suddenly three pairs of hands caught me and righted me. I clutched Caspian in a death grip as the boys helped me stand up again.

"Watch your step, love. We need to hurry." Harry told me urgently and noticed my heavy trembling. "Are you alright?"

"No I am not alright!" I hissed back and headed down the cold steps passed them.

We all hurried down the several flights of stairs when suddenly the window nearest to us shattered and the wall across from it received a shower of bullets. I screamed and fell to the ground, clutching Caspian close to me while he cried louder.

"Dammit, get up Scarlet let's move!" Harry said, yanking me up and pulling me down more stairs to get away from the window.

Zayn, who was now free of the handcuffs, came up to me and pushed Harry away. "I'll carry Caspian."

"No!" I gasped.

"I promise he'll be alright. You can't carry him and hurry down these stairs. Come on." Zayn took Caspian and went down the stairs while I followed closely.

All of us were breathing hard, hearing louder gunshots through the broken window up top and people shouting from down below. When we reached the bottom, Harry turned to us.

"We need to get to the control room on this floor. We can barricade ourselves inside and shoot off Declan and his men from there." He explained quickly and peeked out the door.

I softly comforted Caspian and tried to get him to stop crying. He was more scared than he had probably ever been in his life. He wanted me to hold him, but Zayn still held onto him tightly, also whispering comforting words to him.

"Looks like his men aren't inside yet. Let's go!" Harry pulled out a gun and flung the door open, leading us out into a hallway.

Harry's men were running back and forth holding scary looking guns. "Hold them off men! Don't let them get inside!"

Harry shouted orders at them while he led us down the hallway to a heavy looking door. "Let us in!"

The door immediately opened and Harry ushered us inside. When the door was closed and bolted and after the boys had barricaded it securely, I felt a small ounce of relief. But that relief died instantly when I turned and looked around. It definitely looked like a control room. Security cameras covered one wall and countless buttons and knobs were below them. Two men sat at the desk and were operating the buttons. But what made me panic was the sight of Declan outside the building in one of the camera views. He had a gun and was relentlessly firing at the building. His men had us surrounded and they were closing in fast, despite the return fire from Harry's men.

"Scarlet, it's okay. They can't get in." Harry came near me and tried to put an arm around me.

I pushed him off. "What if he does? What if he..."

I couldn't stop shaking as I stared at the screens and the chaos transpiring outside. I couldn't handle the thought of coming face to face with Declan again. He'd tortured me and I was terrified of him.

Harry tried again. "I understand what you must be going through...but I can assure you–"

"You understand nothing! You weren't there. He didn't rip into your skin everyday and starve you close to death. The thought of him doing it to me again is...I just can't bear it. I can't go through that again. I can't...I'm terrified." I whimpered, trying and failing to stop panicking.

I wanted to stay strong, but the fear I felt was too crippling. Everything that had happened to me over the years had clawed its way to the deepest parts of me, threatening the fearless girl I once was proud of being. I wanted to be her again.

"I understand." Louis spoke up quietly.

I looked at him. He pursed his lips and glanced at Harry before returning his attention to me. "He did it to me too if you recall. I understand what you're feeling. I don't want to see him again either, but Scar...he can't get in. There's nothing to worry about."

Looking at the ground, I grew confused.

Then suddenly Louis was standing in front of me and he tipped my face upward. He acted as though he might brush his fingers down my face, but he awkwardly moved his hand away. His face moved closer to me, as though he wanted to kiss me, but he quickly stepped away and went over to control panel.

Harry neared me then. "I'm sorry. It's hard for me to feel...empathy. Usually I can't be empathetic at all. It's just how I am."

I didn't say anything, taking Caspian from Zayn and moving to a chair by the wall. I sat there and held Caspian on my lap while I tried to soothe him and tell him it'd be alright. He hugged me and whimpered for a while before calming down when the sirens were turned off.

The boys were now crowded around the control panel telling the two men what to do. It came to my attention that there were guns built into the building which could be aimed and fired from here. The boys were trying to shoot off the advancing enemy.

Suddenly, there was a shockingly loud explosion from somewhere in the building and I snapped my head up, feeling my chair tremble for a second. One of the screens went to static, while the one next to it showed a hole in the side of the building. And then hell broke loose when both sides started firing at each other through the smoky hole.

"Dammit!" Harry slammed his fist onto the desk.

"Bloody hell..." Louis murmured, stepping back.

"That was a lot easier than it should have been." Liam said dryly.

"Fire! Keep firing!" Harry yelled, pushing buttons and I could see guns come out of the ceiling and walls and point toward the men trying to get in.

His guns were quickly taken out though and the enemy was suddenly in the passageway. Harry stood there frozen as his two men in the chairs skillfully attempted to hold them off. But it was useless. The men just kept coming with more and more guns and I knew they would take over the building.

"They can't get in this room. It'll be alright." Harry turned to me, but I could see doubt in his eyes.

I was freaking out now. "I should have taken Caspian away. If you hadn't stopped us, Harry, we would've been able to—"

"He would have found you right away and you'd all be dead or worse." He interrupted.

"But Caspian! How do I protect him? How do I keep him safe? He can't be here!" I cried.

"We'll all protect him. It'll be alright." Zayn assured me.

"Why did you have to bring him here? You could have taken refuge with the police or something." I worried, feeling guilty when Zayn looked hurt at my tone.

"At least we can stop hiding now." Liam muttered, crossing his arms.

"Not helping." Zayn scolded.

We sat there for ten minutes watching the screens as Declan's men ran through the building, searching for us. When there was loud bang on the door, we all jumped and held still.

"Open up! You're surrounded, there's no way out!" A muffled voice yelled.

We watched the barricaded door slightly shake as they tried to get in, but it was the strongest door I'd ever seen even without the barricades crossed over it. Then there was another bang, and another. A steady rhythm of loud bangs hit the door continuously and all of us were standing at the far end of the room. We could see in one of the screens they were trying to ram it open with a heavy metal-looking object. The door creaked and cracked open, but the barricades still held. Their efforts increased.

Harry grabbed me and put me behind him, standing in the front of the group as we all watched silently. Then suddenly, the door burst open and the room was flooded with men holding guns pointed at us.

"Drop your weapons! Now!" Several men yelled menacingly at us.

The boys were forced to drop them or risk all of us being shot. They resisted when their hands were pulled together to be restrained, but when one giant of a man grabbed me violently and held me against him with a gun to my head, Harry and Louis each ceased struggling. Liam simply glared at me, but stopped fighting.

"You won't get away with this! You'll all be sorry you ever messed with me!" Harry growled in fury, but the man slapping handcuffs onto his wrists simply knocked him in the forehead with the butt of his gun.

"Aw. Little Scrawny Legs doesn't seem to have much power now does he?" The giant man sneered mockingly.

Harry looked enraged by the insult and ignored the blood seeping from his forehead. "Mark my words, Fat Ass. I will shoot you in the head before this is over." He snarled.

The man simply laughed evilly and yanked me toward the door as I clutched Caspian close to me so no one would take him away. "Come on boys. Let's take 'em to Henrik."

The two men at the control panel were shot just before we were all being forced out of the room. I hid Caspian's face in my shirt and cooperatively let them lead me along so I wouldn't be separated from him. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt a panic attack coming on, but I held it off.

"I'm sorry, Scarlet." Harry murmured as he walked beside me. "This is what I was trying to prevent from happening, but I failed."

"Speak again and I'll cut your tongue out." The big man threatened.

Harry simply hardcore scowled at the man, but when he looked back at me, his features softened slightly. The boys each had two men holding their arms as we were crowded into the elevator. We stopped at the fourth floor, which I'd never been on, and were shoved forward. We walked down the corridor, passing many closed doors until the corridor opened up into a large area connecting other hallways. Huge windows were to the left, letting light in.

Standing in the middle of the area with lines of men behind him was Declan Henrik. His buff arms were crossed over his chest as a sly smirk was pasted in his ugly face. His beard had grown since I last saw him, but his head was still bald. He still held that cunning, devilish glint in his eyes as they landed on each of us.

My stomach dropped and immediately everything that had happened in the basement came back to me. I had been working so hard to repress those memories because of how agonizing they were. Yet seeing him again...I could clearly remember him standing before me chained to the ceiling while he beat me mercilessly with his whips and straps. The pain...the suffering...the tears. Tears sprung up in my eyes as I was unable to control my fear.

"It feels like Christmas." Declan grinned, stepping forward.

I clutched Caspian, hiding my own face in his fluffy coat while pressing his head against me so he wouldn't look around. I didn't know how I would be able to keep him safe now. If he was harmed...I wouldn't know how to deal with it. If he died...I would die.

"Let us go now and I'll kill you quickly." Harry menaced, pulling against his captor.

Declan rolled his eyes, strolling up to Harry. He spent a full ten seconds sizing him up from his boots to the curls on his head.

"You disappoint me, Styles. Thought you would have grown into a man by now after all you've accomplished. Looks like you're stuck in a child's body though. Tsk tsk. Poor boy." Declan patted his cheek.

Harry gritted his teeth and lurched forward, gripping Declan's jacket in his handcuffed fists. "Listen up you bàstard. If you don't fûcking let us go my men will blow you to hell. You think you can—"

Harry's words were cut short when Declan punched him hard in the stomach and then socked him in the jaw. Harry grunted, but showed no sign of being hurt otherwise, even though there was a mark near his mouth now. Even though I hated watching people get hurt, it felt satisfying somehow to see Harry get what he deserved.

"Don't touch him, bîtch." Louis growled in anger from the other side of Harry, but I could see a hint of anxiety in his features.

Declan then turned to Louis, stepping up to him. "And little Lou, good to see you again. You're looking much better than you did last time I saw you beaten up in my cage."

Louis' jaw clenched as he fumed in rage, tugging at the arms that held him still. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head sassily. "I would say it's nice to see you too, but that would be a lie."

Declan chuckled. "You'll never change boy. Always needing to be taught a hard lesson."

"Touch him and your dead." Harry spat out.

Declan stepped back, studying Liam and Zayn. "Payne is here, ever the loyal one. But Malik...your presence confuses me."

Zayn shifted uncomfortably in the guards' grips. "I'm not with them anymore. I'm only here for...Scarlet."

Declan glanced at me, smirking and walking over to me. I started shaking unwillingly and it was so bad that I could hardly stand. Zayn looked distressed that he caused Declan's attention to turn to me.

"Shh, baby don't say anything. It'll be alright." I whispered in Caspian's ear.

"The slût lives. I'd hoped my beatings would have caused your death when they rescued you. How are those injuries anyway? Did they leave scars?" He taunted me. "But who is this?"

He gestured to Caspian and I could barely manage to keep from passing out. "No one of importance to you."

"I'm only going to ask you once more and if you even think about lying to me, I'll kill him. Who is this child?" Declan demanded.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I whimpered. "He's my son."

"The father is...?" Declan prompted.

I glanced over at the boys and they all shook their heads. They didn't want me to tell him, but I couldn't lie about it. Caspian was the spitting image of Harry.

"Harry..." I murmured.

Declan's face grew quite pleased with my answer as he took a moment to ponder this revelation. "Darren, take this boy."

"No!" I cried, clinging to Caspian who was entirely confused and scared. "No! You can't! He's mine! You can't take him he's mine!"

The man named Darren came up to me and pried the boy from my arms as I screamed and pleaded and begged. Caspian started crying, seeing my distress, and reached for me as he shrieked.

"He's just a kid!" Zayn spoke up, angered.

"Give him back! Please! Don't hurt him! He's just a baby! He's not even three years old!" I cried, fighting against several men who struggled to control me.

The man carried little wailing Caspian out of sight.

"Cease your struggling this instant or I will kill him in front of you all." Declan warned.

I immediately stopped, but had a harder time stopping my tears and shaking. The men held my arms securely and made me face Declan. I looked up at him, feeling rage and anger like I had never felt before. If those men let me go, I believed I would kill him with my bare hands.

"I swear if you harm a hair in his head I will slaughter you." I seethed.

Declan didn't even blink, turning his attention to the boys. "How wonderful. After all these years. All these years searching and planning and thinking over my revenge on your pitiful excuse for a gang, I finally have you here."

"That was so long ago, dîckhead." Louis grumbled.

"You murdered my wife! She's dead! And then you tried murdering me; thought you did and then ran. Harry and the gang helped hide you from me. So you all get to be punished. And you whôre. They care about you so you're being punished as well." Declan spoke up. "String 'em up boys."

"Henrik!" Liam shouted. "Don't you dare you fûcking cûnt!"

As we were all pushed around and the boys wrists were attached to chains that were flung over beams on the ceiling, Declan went over to Liam. "You had to be a complete and utter moron to believe I would release you if you told me the whereabouts of this building."

Harry's head snapped up, whipping to look at Liam. "You had better repeat that sentence again because I fûcking swear if I just heard what I thought I did, I'm going to fûcking kill you Liam."

"What the fûck Liam!" Zayn shouted.

Declan chuckled while Liam's face went pale. "I think I just let every one of your friends know your little secret. Oops. You didn't want them to know you betrayed them all simply because you didn't want to be tangled up in this anymore hm?"

"I wasn't going to betray them! Harry! You have to believe me, I wasn't..." Liam started.

Harry and Louis both stared at Liam in complete horror, betrayal written across their faces as their arms were raised above their heads and secured. None of us wanted to believe that Liam had betrayed us by telling Declan where we were, but it was clearly true. Everyone could tell by the way Liam's face was anguished in guilt and fear. Liam was a traitor.


	50. Chains and Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has detailed fucked up stuff in it so proceed with caution.

"Liam Payne you are dead to me! How could you do this?! Now we're all going to die!" Harry screamed, yanking on the chains that held his arms above his head.

"Liam..." Louis croaked out, staring in disbelief at his friend.

All four of them were now strung up securely while I was still held by someone. Liam avoided their horrified gazes.

"I wasn't going to betray you! This isn't how it was suppose to go." He tried to defend himself.

"You told him where we were, Liam! Because of you we're all about to die." Harry hissed.

"I was going to leave and get help!" Liam claimed.

"Oh shut up, all of you." Declan interjected, swaggering in front of them. "Who said anything about dying?"

I shivered at his words, hoping he wasn't implying what I thought he was.

"No, killing you so soon would be a mercy. I'm going to have some fun first...make you as miserable as I have been over the years. Good thing you all have sprouted feelings for your latest bîtch so I can shoot her in the head when we're finished, while you're watching."

"Don't touch her you bàstard!" Harry roared, his expression like a madman.

"If you hurt her I'll kill you all over again!" Louis bellowed angrily.

"Don't do it!" Zayn pleaded, catching my eye.

It was difficult seeing Zayn strung up right alongside them. I hadn't thought he belonged but...he did belong. He had been part of their gang back then, hurting girls and ruining their lives. It was so painful to accept, but I think I was starting to.

Declan stopped next to me and took me from the man holding me, disabling my arms and pressing me into his chest. "Who shall I beat up first?"

"No one..." I stammered, breathing hard in fear because he was holding me, touching me with his rough hands.

"Louis? I agree." He laughed and pushed me away.

I was shoved into another man's arms, the giant man. "Don't hurt him please!"

What had become of me—now I was defending the man who ràped me mercilessly and begging for him not to be tortured. This wasn't how I expected things to go.

"Henrik I swear if you touch him..." Harry trailed off, knowing his words were useless.

He could only watch helplessly as Declan strolled over to his best mate. Louis’ face was pale, having the same expression when he'd first realized Declan was alive. His chest rose and fell rapidly as Declan went up and got into his face. He was scared, but trying so hard not to show it.

"You pointless boy. We should have smothered you in your sleep." He muttered, walking around him.

Declan tore the back of Louis' shirt, ripping it in half until he managed to tear the whole thing off his body.

Now shirtless, Louis pursed his lips. "Don't fûcking touch me, bîtch."

"I get to touch you all I want. Just like your mother." He sneered.

"Don't bring that witch up. She's not my mother." Louis snarled.

"Why? Because you didn't like the way she touched you? Fûcked you? Took your clothes off?" Declan taunted him.

"Shut the fûck up!" Louis screamed, looking animalistic while yanking on his chains uselessly.

"She loved you, Louis. And how did you repay her? A bullet in the head." He shook his head, coming back around to Louis’ front.

"She didn't love him! That isn't love!" I shouted out and Harry turned to look at me, sadness taking over his expression as he stared at me.

You're just like her, I wanted to tell him, but it seemed he realized that on his own as his eyebrows scrunched together and his eyes visibly grew moist and red. He looked shaken.

"I'd kill the hag a hundred times over if it meant hurting you." Louis growled at Declan, breaking Harry and I's focus on each other.

"You did hurt me. You made me into this. So now I'm going to hurt you back. You act so tough and strong, but I know you're really just that scared little lad back in Doncaster, taking your mother's sexual advances silently." Declan mocked.

"I wasn't silent! I fought back. I didn't want any of that shît." Louis argued, looking more stressed and more hurt by the second.

"Doesn't matter now. She's gone and I'm going to have my revenge." Declan's stance changed and he held up his arm, quickly punching Louis in the stomach.

The boys all started yelling while I struggled against the giant man. But we were immobile, unable to help Louis from getting beat up by Declan. He punched Louis repeatedly, using all his strength to inflict as much pain as he could. I had to look away, remembering how horrible it was before. But this time was different. How could I save all of them? I couldn't possibly let myself be hurt in the place of all of them. I would die and I needed to stay alive for Caspian.

Declan beat Louis until his mouth was spilling blood and he was limply hanging from the ceiling, defeated. He wasn't defeated because of the pain, but because of the helplessness he felt. Then Declan moved to Harry.

Harry raised his chin, glaring into the eyes of Declan as he crossed his arms. "You know why this is happening. You helped Louis get away from me, helped him run away, taught him how to fight, and how to kill. If anything, this is all your fault for putting the ideas in Louis’ head."

"I don't regret a moment of it. He's been my best mate ever since." Harry glared sinisterly.

Declan kicked him hard in the stomach, receiving a grunt. But Harry refused to show pain. Declan continued pummeling Harry until he was also hanging from his chains. Liam was next, but Harry only scowled at him as Declan made his face bleed. When he turned his attention onto Zayn, I moved forward but was held back.

"Please don't!" I begged. "Not him. He doesn't deserve it."

Declan slowly turned to me, rubbing his swollen knuckles. I trembled when his icy stare tore through me as he stalked over to me. When he was standing before me, towering so tall and intimidating, I couldn't help myself from looking at the floor.

"You've forgotten your place, haven't you?" His voice was cool, smooth, and incredibly sinister.

I didn't know what to say. If I talked back, he'd hurt me. If I begged him to let us go, he'd just laugh in my face. What could I do?

"Do you need a refresher?" He inquired.

"No..." I shook my head, still staring at my feet.

He grabbed the collar of my shirt and jerked me toward his body, staring down at me threateningly.

"Let her go." Louis spoke up.

"Don't touch her like that!" Harry demanded.

"Beat me up all you want, but don't touch her!" Zayn called out.

"Will you all shut the hell up!" Declan growled, turning and looking at them. After a momentary pause, a creepy grin lit up his face. "You're feelings for her are pathetic. You're all in love with her."

“I mean, I'm not…” Liam offered quietly. 

My body shook and he chuckled at my fear because he knew that I knew something bad was coming.

"The reason I wanted you so bad slût is because I can hurt them through you, but you already know that." He cocked his head.

Suddenly, Declan backhanded me and I went sprawling on the floor. I could hear the boys going ballistic as I clutched my cheek, which ached now. I was jerked up again while the boys were shouting out profanities and all kinds of horrible things they would do to Declan if he didn't let me go. But Declan simply laughed at them and then forced my jacket off my shoulders.

Fear sprang up in me when he tore my shirt and ripped it from my body. "No! Please don't!"

He ignored me however and quickly yanked the clothes from my body, leaving me in only my underwear. It was just like the basement. I attempted to cover my exposed skin, but Declan held me against him facing the boys. One of Declan's hands grabbed my breast and squeezed it hard over my bra.

"Stop! Just fûcking stop!" Harry raged.

When I tried prying his hands off me, Declan sneered in my ear, "If you struggle at all. I'm going to pay your son a little visit."

I choked on a sob and trembled in fear, instantly ceasing my struggles. I felt sick inside, like the way I felt whenever Harry or the others would ràpe me. I was so helpless, defenseless—I couldn't do anything to protect myself.

Declan's hand slid down my bare stomach and started rubbing me down there.

"Don't touch her! Don't touch her! She's not yours!" Harry kept screaming.

Tears were rolling down my cheeks and my heart was pounding in my chest, but I didn't fight, I didn't struggle. Declan roughly molested me until he pushed me to my knees. I had a sudden and horrible flashback of the many times the boys forced me to give them oral sex and I choked, desperately wishing Declan wouldn't do that to me.

He fisted my tangled hair, yanking back so I'd look up. I caught sight of Harry's gaze. He was staring at me with an anguished expression and breathing hard. I whimpered, feeling pain in my scalp as my hair was gripped harder.

"How often do they fûck you?" Declan asked me and when I didn't reply he slapped me.

"They...haven't in a long time, besides Harry." I stammered, trying so hard to stop crying.

"So they've gained enough feelings that they don't hurt you anymore is that it?" He pressed sternly.

"I...they don't have feelings." I hiccuped, struggling to keep from crying but there was a lump in my throat.

"Clearly they care. Or they would have ràped you every day the moment they found you. It's just what they do. But, I'd like to ruin whatever points they've earned from being kind to you." He announced, dropping me and moving to Louis.

Louis cringed when Declan reached up, but his adoptive dad simply unchained him. Wobbling slightly, Louis rubbed his wrists and glared at Declan. He took a swing at him, but after the beating, Declan easily avoided the hit and shoved him at me. He fell to his knees beside me and quickly looked at me. He didn't hold me or anything, just looked at me as though he wanted to.

"Now, Louis. I'm trying to destroy you. Each of you. So now, if you don't do as I say without question, I'll do it. Understood?" Declan stood over us.

"Oh for fûcks sake, just let us the fûck go." Harry groaned.

"Silence!" He bellowed, angrily shooting a death glare at Harry. "Louis, I want you to sexually abuse the slût. Right here, right now."

There was a momentary dead silence as everyone took in his words. A cold shiver ran through me as we all stared at Declan in horror.

But when Louis opened his mouth to protest, Declan held up a finger. "Remember, I'll do it myself if you don't do as I say immediately without question."

Louis turned to me, conflicting emotions flitting across his face. He huffed and frowned, seeing how scared I was. "I...can't do that."

"If you won't, I will." Declan laughed, reaching down for me.

"No!" Louis yelled, climbing on top of me to block me from Declan.

I didn't know what to do. Louis was over me, knowing he was going to be hurting me to make sure Declan wouldn't. But how could I just lie here and take it? I had to if I wanted to keep Caspian safe... Tears fell down the side of my face as Louis managed to look me in the eyes.

"I...I..." Louis whispered, looking torn as he touched my bruised cheek.

"Violate her. Now. I don't care what you do—fûck her in any of her holes, whatever—just do it quickly." Declan demanded sternly and stood over us.

"Scarlet..." Louis' voice was barely audible as he slowly unbuckled his pants.

"No..." I whispered, hardly able to see anything through my blinding tears.

Louis didn't say anything else; he simply hardened his expression and hid his emotions behind a mask. He stood to his feet and pulled me up to my knees again. I was whimpering and shaking so badly that Louis had to hold onto my hair.

"Don't make him do this to her!" Zayn yelled out from his place on the end. "She's innocent! She doesn't deserve any of this..."

"She's Harry Styles' property. So she's going to suffer right along with all of you. Louis now, or you will regret taking your time." Declan growled.

My body was breaking into sweats and my stomach was twisted so badly that I felt I might vomit. But Louis held my hair firmly so my face was directly in front of his pelvis. He released his member from his pants and touched it to my face. I recoiled, but had nowhere to go. He gave it a few strokes with his hand for a minute.

"Please don't bite it off." Louis muttered under his breath, probably recalling the times I swore to bite off the next dîck that went in my mouth.

He forced it into my mouth and I cried harder, my tears stinging painfully. My mouth was stretched and I hated the taste and the feeling and the little sound I heard from Louis' mouth, though he tried to cover it up.

"'M sorry." He mumbled.

My hands clutched his pants as I tried to pretend I was somewhere else, but it was increasingly difficult with Declan narrating the whole thing and the boys shouting all at once. He pushed my head down on him deeper and deeper until I was gagging and choking. My groans of discomfort and pain only seemed to give him pleasure, though he was clearly trying to seem indifferent. He was rock hard by now.

"Sorry Scarlet...I'm sorry. So sorry." He kept mumbling as he he thrusted his hips into my face and pushed my head down repeatedly.

Suddenly I was yanked away and I fell back against the floor. I coughed and gagged, trying to get air into my lungs and the taste of Louis' dîck out of my mouth. I groaned and cried, unable to control myself as I looked up. Declan had stopped Louis just before he could finish and was chaining him back to the ceiling. Thankfully he'd let him button his pants back up over his hardened shaft.

"What the actual fûck was the point of that?" Harry fumed.

"Humiliate her, remind her of her place. And remind Louis of how much he's taken after his mother. Not to mention, you all look horrified of what just happened." Declan sneered, coming over to me.

I wanted to be strong and defiant and show him no fear, but it was close to impossible at this point. He gripped my hair and yanked me upright to my knees. Crying out, I knelt there cooperatively so he wouldn't hurt me any more.

"So, it's almost time for the grand finale. You're all going to die together today, but I'm not sure I've had enough fun with you." Declan taunted, still gripping my hair. He forced me to kneel right at his side. "Perhaps I should take your slût right here right now. Make her mine."

"Don't you fûcking dare. I will kill you." Harry hissed, jerking against the chains. His previously perfectly styled hair was hanging in his eyes and dripping sweat.

"Maybe I will. I'll tie her up, have my way, and then slit her throat." He chuckled wickedly.

"Don't." Louis said in a small voice, having been avoiding my gaze after what he'd been made to do to me. 

"I think it's time for the grand finale. Here you all are, all six of you and I get to kill you before the day is out." Declan let me go and clapped his hands. "Chuck! Activate Phase B."

Harry was staring at me, anguish clear in his eyes, but he wouldn't say anything.

A man hurried up to Declan, whispering in his ear. "Sir, we have a problem."

All at once, there was a deafening explosion in the corridor where we'd come from. Debris scattered toward us and smoke billowed out in thick clouds. The ground shook and I collapsed from my knees, landing on my elbows. We all stared toward the smoke cloud in surprise.

Amidst the settling dust and smoke, a figure emerged, sauntering toward us with a massive automatic gun in his arms and a determined look on his bruised face.

With dyed blond hair littered with dirt and debris, Niall aimed his gun and sent a flurry of bullets flying across the room at the enemy. They went down like pins in a bowling alley.

"Niall Horan you bàstard we thought you were fûcking dead!" Harry's voice cried over the din.


	51. Fight For Your Life

Our shock over Niall's appearance had to be put on hold because of the shower of bullets flying across the space. I didn't understand how he could be alive. Niall was shooting madly at Declan's men while a group of Harry's men appeared behind the Irishman and covered him.

"Who let the bloody leprechaun loose!" Declan roared, using a guard's limp body as a shield.

Niall raced across the floor and reached the boys, shooting the chains above their heads. Each of them, aside from Zayn who hadn't been hurt, dropped down weakly. Louis gripped Niall's jacket and looked at him intensely before clutching his shoulder. He looked utterly shocked.

Harry crawled to me, using the adrenaline that we all shared at the moment and picked me up. Zayn rushed over and grabbed me from him, pushing me toward one of the hallways.

"No that one! Caspian went that way!" I cried, trying to move the opposite way.

"Ow!" Liam cried out, clutching his arm as a bullet struck him.

"Get your idiotic asses out of here before we all die!" Harry yelled, pushing me down a hallway.

"Wait! I need to kill him." Louis gasped out, clearly struggling to even stand straight as he headed for Declan who was running down the opposite hall.

Harry grabbed him and pulled him back. "You'll get your chance, we just need to fall back for a moment. You're in no state to go up against him."

"I need to kill him!" Louis shouted, pushing away from Harry's efforts to keep him out of the line of fire and chaos.

"Louis, you stupid fool! Listen to me and come!" Harry yelled, forcing his mate to follow the rest of us as we limped down the hall.

Harry's men covered us as we stumbled from the scene. I wanted to find Caspian immediately, but we had to focus on staying alive first or he would be as good as dead.

We reached double doors, but as we were about to exit through them, we heard a booming voice echo through the corridor and all gunfire ceased. "Stop where you are and return right now or the child dies!"

"Caspian!" I gasped out, practically diving back the way we came while Harry held me back. I felt completely vulnerable in nothing but my underwear, but at that moment it was the least of my concerns.

"We can't. He'll kill us all." Harry protested, exhaustion and a small bit of fear in his green eyes.

"You'd let my son die so you can live?" I hissed.

"Our son. And no, I wouldn't." Harry returned.

Louis pushed past all of us, holding a gun he'd swiped from a fallen guard and pointed it up as he walked forward.

"Louis!" Harry groaned, before turning to Niall and placing a hand on his shoulder fondly. "It was a good effort mate. It's good to see you again, even though I expect we're all about to die in the next few moments."

"How are you alive?" Liam asked.

"You thought I was dead?" Niall frowned, looking at each of us. His blue eyes held confusion.

"Get out here now you annoying lot of wasted space!" Declan bellowed. "You have three seconds!"

"Harry let me go!" I broke free and hurried back into the open area where I found Louis being held by the arms by two guards who'd taken his gun and Caspian was in the grip of Declan.

"It's okay Caspian don't be scared. I'm here!" I tried to calm my crying son, but he was frightened and confused and he just wanted me.

"Get over here slût." Declan pointed to the ground at his feet with his gun.

I carefully stepped up to him, scared to death of the gun that was now pressed against Caspian’s head. I would do anything to keep him safe so I held my hands up in a submissive manner, even though I was completely terrified.

"Get on your knees at my feet and stay there." He ordered.

I complied slowly, looking up at Caspian who was whimpering and reaching down for me. My own eyes watered again as I put my finger to my lips.

"Men, do away with Harry's parasites." Declan called out and immediately those of Harry's men who were still standing were shot, each of them falling to the ground.

Harry looked around in anger at his fallen puppets.

"As for you boys. You all just stand there nicely and I won't hurt the kid. Mike, give Louis a good punch in the groin for trying to shoot me." Declan ordered out evenly, his voice laced with anger and annoyance.

One of the men holding Louis released him briefly in order to administer a painful looking punch to his manhood. Louis cried out and slumped over, the men allowing him to collapse to the floor. They laughed at his pain.

"One down. Bîtch you get to do the next honors. Wait. Where the fûck is Horan?" He barked.

A few of the remaining guards awkwardly looked at each other when everyone realized the blond was nowhere to be seen.

"Perfect. He failed at saving us and now he's completely abandoned us." Liam rolled his eyes.

"More than you've done, dîckhead." Harry snarled.

"Find him! Now that my surprise is ruined, I'll just skip to the part where I kill him all over again in front of you." Declan sneered. "I genuinely thought I killed him before when I showed you the picture. I mean, I stabbed him several times. Guess I should learn from my own advice: make sure the person you kill is actually dead."

My family suddenly sprang to my memory. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I looked up at Declan pleadingly. "What did you do with my family?"

"Oh them. I had no use for them so I killed them." Declan grinned.

"What?!" I shrieked in horror.

"Just kidding bloody hell don't break my ear drums stupid bîtch. They're right here in this building. So you can count them as on the to-kill list if you don't cooperate." Declan growled.

"You bàstard, haven't you done enough? Just let us all go." Zayn said angrily.

"I'm not going to be through with you until I've broken every single one of you. So now, Harry's turn." Declan turned to look down at me, still holding the gun to Caspian's head.

"Don't hurt them." I murmured.

"How amusing, because I was actually going to have you hurt them." He chuckled to himself. "You are to shoot Harry."

"I'm not shooting anyone!" I exclaimed in horror.

"You have ten seconds to shoot him or I will shoot your beloved son." He stated and a gun was shoved into my hands.

Clutching it, I desperately wanted to blow Declan's head off with it and I would have if he weren't in full control of Caspian's life. I stood up, my hands shaking terribly as I looked up at Harry.

"One." Declan began.

"I...can't..." I murmured, holding the barrel up toward Harry's head.

"Two."

He was staring back at me, a look of fear on his face which slowly turned to resignation. He looked sorrowful, yet peaceful, as if he were telling me it was okay.

"Three."

Even after everything he had done to me, I couldn't bring myself to do it. How could I shoot another human being? But he had done so many horrible things. He deserved it. Here he was before me, and I had the opportunity to shoot him...and kill him if I wanted, for everything he'd done. So why couldn't I bring myself to pull the trigger?

"It's okay. I deserve this." Harry said softly to me.

"No! Don't hurt him Scarlet!" Louis groaned on the floor.

"Seven. Eight. Nine." Declan continued.

I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger.

Louis and Liam screamed out in horror. He never said anything about where I should shoot him, just that I had to. Harry collapsed, crying out in pain and clenching his eyes shut, though he clearly was trying to look strong. He held his bleeding leg where I had put the bullet. My body was shaking and the guard had to pry the gun from my fingers.

I stared at Harry, my ears ringing. I'd just shot him in the leg. My stomach twisted and my mind went blank for a second. I had always imagined it would feel better than this. Declan shoved me to the ground again, causing the hard cement floor to hurt my knees.

"I think Malik needs some pain now. He's hardly had a pinch. Whôre, go to him. Malik? Fûck her." Declan demanded pointedly and kicked me in the side.

Zayn's eyes grew wide and he held up his hands to object as he yelled, "No! I won't hurt her. I haven't ràped anyone in years. I'm not about to ruin everything I've–"

"No!" Harry cried out, clutching his leg.

"Now or he dies." Declan knowingly touched the barrel of the gun to Caspian's head again.

I scrambled over to Zayn and jumped into his arms, shaking uncontrollably. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and held the back of my head. I just wanted it all to end.

"I can't do this. I physically can't. I'm afraid if I do I'll... Scarlet I just can't..." Zayn whispered urgently in my ear, sounding more afraid than I'd ever heard him sound before.

A gunshot went off, and we all flinched. I looked back at Declan and saw that his gun had been shot from his hand and was now on the floor. Not thinking twice, I jerked away from Zayn and leaped at Declan in his momentary startled state. I managed to cause him to fall backward and I grabbed Caspian from him, but not before falling right on top of the evil man. I pushed Caspian away to keep him from harm and punched Declan's jaw as hard as I could, screaming in his face as I did so. I was suddenly in angry-mama-bear mode.

"Don't fûcking touch my son!" I screeched.

Zayn appeared and snatched Caspian while the guards began running around trying to contain us. Declan wrapped his hand around my throat and squeezed tightly, making me cease breathing. I reached down scraped my nails down his face, which made him let go and punch me in the face. I fell to the side, slightly dazed from the brute force of the strike to my cheek.

Declan was then over me, his heavy muscled body like a ton of bricks that I couldn't lift. He slapped me again. "You little bîtch are more trouble than you're worth."

Another shot rang out and Declan dropped onto me, apparently having been shot. I struggle to get his heavy body off of me as my own body was tensed in panic and my eyes were blinded with tears of fear.

"Let's go! Come on lads!" Liam was shouting.

Suddenly Louis and Zayn were next to me, jerking me up and pulling me away from Declan.

"He's dead? I didn't get to shoot him! Niall, that was supposed to be me!" Louis yelled angrily, helping me away.

I wasn't sure what was going on. The last hit had nearly brought me to unconsciousness and so I moaned as I was dragged across the room by Louis. Liam had Harry's arm slung across his shoulders and Zayn was carrying Caspian. Niall was ahead of us, shooting the guards behind us until there was finally silence.

"Let's get out of here before more men come." Niall suggested seriously, scurrying ahead of us down the hallway. "I've got more of your men waiting outside, Harry. We just need to get to them and we'll be safe."

"How are you...alive, Niall?" Harry croaked, having a hard time walking with his injured leg.

"Sorry...I should have called you but I lost my phone and I forgot your number. Declan found me and nearly killed me. He left me for dead. But then these druggies found me and nursed me back to health. When I was better I went after Declan, but he caught me. He's been holding me for about two weeks and I only just got out of me bonds a while ago." Niall explained as we all hurried through the eerie halls.

"That explains the bruises on your face." Louis muttered.

"Seriously, we all thought you were dead." Liam spoke up.

"Shut up Liam." Harry groaned.

"Harry even cried for you." Louis blurted out, receiving a death glare from Harry.

Niall glanced back, giving him a small smirk. "Love you too mate."

"Shut the hell up." Harry grumbled, but was clearly glad that his friend was alive and well.

"What about my family?" I spoke up, able to walk on my own now that my vision had cleared. "We need to find them."

"Fûcking shît. Why do we even keep her around? She only causes more problems!" Liam spoke up.

"If you don't shut that fat mouth of yours, Liam Payne I'll shoot you like I've been wanting to do ever since I learned you betrayed me." Harry spat out, shoving away from Liam and leaning on Louis instead.

"I said I'm sorry... I didn't mean for it go like this. He promised to let me go free. I was going to leave and get help and come back and rescue you." Liam claimed.

"Just shut up. We will discuss this later." Harry snapped irritably, limping along. "Scarlet, I'm guessing your family is downstairs with the girls."

"Then let's go." I said.

"You're in no state to go rescuing anyone. You're going outside to...rmf...to be protected." Harry groaned in pain. "Louis give her my jacket."

Louis, still being shirtless, helped Harry remove his suit jacket and handed it to me. I took it and shrugged it on, hugging myself and feeling more self conscious about being in my underwear. Zayn was walking right beside me with Caspian.

"I'm not leaving until everyone is safe." I stated stubbornly.

"You're going outside if I have to...drag you out there myself." Harry insisted with great effort.

We reached the elevator and I pushed the down button. We all crowded in, keeping a watchful eye and ear out for more of Declan's men, but it seemed unnaturally quiet.

I pushed the lowest floor button with no one noticing, so when the doors opened and revealed the hallway leading to the corridor of cells, Harry grabbed my arm.

"You're going upstairs right now. I'll go let them out. Is that clear?" Harry hissed at me sternly.

"You're not in control of me. It's my family. I'm just going to let them out and we can all go outside." I shot back, fed up with him trying to control everything I did.

"Scarlet! Bloody hell..." I heard Harry mutter behind me as I headed forward toward the heavy metal doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 4 chapters left! Prepare yourselves.


	52. My Dad Meets Harry

Niall slipped through the strong metal door to the corridor of cells first to make sure there weren't any guards, since he had the biggest gun and then he motioned for us to enter. I stepped into the cold hall and took the keys.

"Dad? Mom?" I called out, trying to push the thought that they might not be here out of my mind.

"Scarlet? Princess?" I heard my parents voices at the far end. "What are you doing here?!"

I stepped forward eagerly, but then paused and turned to the boys. "Does anyone have spare pants?"

Harry's eyes flicked down to my bare legs. His suit jacket didn't quite cover my butt and I didn't want them to see me like this. It would only cause them to imagine all of the horrible reasons I might be dressed this way. However one of the boys would have to give me their own pants, which obviously wouldn't fit me.

"Just take hers." Harry grabbed the keys and limped to the cell next to us.

The girl chained to the wall was wearing leggings and a bra and she grew alarmed as Harry opened the door.

"No! Don't Harry don't. I don't want hers." I shook my head and tried to get him to stop.

However he ignored me and forced the leggings off of the girl, bringing them out to me. I shoved them back in his hands and pointed to the poor girl who was trying to hide herself.

"Give them back to her. Now. I'm fine." I glared at him and hurried down the corridor after taking the keys from him.

I heard Harry curse and turned to see him throw them back into the cell. I followed the sound of my parent's voices and found them near the end locked in a cell with Titus. When my parents laid eyes on me, they reached through the bars toward me and grasped my cold hands.

"Oh baby I can't even describe how relieved I am to see you. Are you alright? What happened?" Mom said with tears in her eyes as she took in my pitiful appearance.

Her eyes hesitated on my legs and I realized she was probably looking at the scars there. I grasped their hands only for a moment before sticking the keys in the lock and opening the door. Then they rushed to embrace me, muttering barely intelligible words. Titus hugged me tightly. He was getting so tall.

"Honey what's happening? How are you here in this horrid place? We were abducted and—" My dad's voice died instantly the moment the boys came into view. His eyes narrowed. "You."

Dad walked past me, making a beeline for Harry and before I could react, he had punched Harry in the face. Harry, already being injured from the gunshot wound, fell backwards. Dad then proceeded to kick him violently while Louis and Liam tried to yank him away. Zayn and Niall simply watched with blank expressions, perhaps with a hint of a satisfied smirk.

"Dad. Dad! I already shot him, you'll kill him." I went up and grabbed his arm, though I quite enjoyed the sight of my dad beating the shît out of the man who had destroyed me.

My dad's face was red with anger and his fists were clenched as the boys managed to hold him back. "All of you are sick. How could you do what you have to my innocent daughter? I ought to string you all up by your toes and flay you alive."

Louis quickly stepped away from him, avoiding his gaze while Liam gave him a wary look. Harry simply groaned in pain on the ground and clutched his bleeding leg. My bullet must have gone all the way through. I'd tried not to aim for anything too important. Niall had wrapped someone's shirt around his leg to get the bleeding under control. I stood in front of my dad and grabbed his arms, trying to get his fuming glare on me. He was shaking and red faced, jaw clenched.

"I'm okay, dad. I'm here. I'm alright." I assured him, wrapping my arms around him tightly.

He hugged me back stiffly, probably still staring at the boys. My family had never been face to face with them without handcuffs and security everywhere. Dad tenderly held the back of my head for a moment while he relished our brief embrace. As he pulled back unexpectedly, he shrugged off his large winter coat and helped me into it. It was heavy and long and warm and it covered more of my legs than Harry's jacket.

"We've gotta leave quickly. The building's been taken over by some dangerous people." I said.

"Yeah, them." My dad muttered back, nodding at the boys. "They have you wearing hardly anything in this freezing weather?"

"It wasn't them just...I'll explain later we just have to get out of here before something else bad happens. For right now, they are less dangerous than the ones who abducted all of you." I said urgently.

"I can't see how that's possible." My dad scowled at Harry menacingly.

"Yeah we gotta go." Niall agreed.

"Zayn, Niall, get my parents and brother out of here. The rest of you will help me get the girls out."

At my statement, immediately, there were protests.

"No! I'm not leaving your side while those criminals are near." Dad announced firmly.

"We're all getting out of here right now, without the girls. You're safety is most important." Harry declared, holding his leg.

"I'm not leaving you either." Zayn argued.

"But-" I tried to get a word in.

"You're coming with me outside and that's final. We got your family, now move! Liam, Louis come on." Harry yelled out, tugging me toward the door, but he only ended up wincing in pain after having to let me go.

"But the girls! I can't leave them here. I promised I'd save them." I said urgently, being pulled by both Liam and Louis as I tried not to drop Caspian.

Dad came up and shoved them off me, taking me around the shoulders and guiding me forward. He told me we'd come back for them later but that right now getting me out was most important. I didn't see it that way however—the girls had been through many of the same things I had. 

As we passed Naomi, I tried to stop so I could talk to her, but I was pushed along. "I'll come back for you, I promise."

She simply stared back with a blank look as she hugged her battered body.

Begrudgingly being led through the building, up the elevator and straight to an exit, I was pulled by my dad as everyone made it outside. The moment my bare feet hit the freezing snow on the sidewalk, I winced. Dad handed Caspian to Mom and picked me up and held me close to him for warmth. We all shivered in the cold winter air as a man suddenly walked up to us.

"You literally could not have better timing, Nate." Harry sighed, meeting him a few feet from us and speaking in a low voice.

"Don't worry. I'll get you to a safe place where no one will hurt you again." Dad whispered to me while Mom and Titus gathered around to be closer.

"Alright. Here's how it's gonna work. Scarlet's family is gonna go with my friend Nate here. He'll take you to a safe place, anywhere you wanna go. I'll send Scarlet along later." Harry announced as Nate opened a car door next to us.

"Heck no! I'm not going anywhere with one of your minions and leaving my daughter with the likes of you at that." Dad growled protectively.

To everyone's surprise, Harry pulled a gun out and pointed it at my parents. He was leaning on the brick wall for support because of his injured leg and I could tell he was in pain. Yet he was still able to pull a gun on us, the bàstard.

"Harry!" I cried.

"I've not had the best day today mister as you can imagine. So I suggest you don't test me. Put her down and get in the car or I will shoot one of you." Harry threatened.

Zayn made a move toward him but Harry simply aimed at him instead. "You'll be sorry if you try to stop this. I'm only trying to get them out of the way."

"Why don't I go with them? There's no reason to stay here." I pointed out, not exactly able to come to terms with the fact that Declan was gone now. It seemed to have happened too quickly. I didn't feel the closure that I thought I would.

"Listen to what I said. Scarlet's family: leave in the car. We'll keep her safe." Harry said sternly.

"Just like you've kept her safe in the past?" Dad shot out patronizingly. 

I wriggled myself out of my dads hold and stood in the snow. Frustrated with Harry's orders, but wanting my family to be safe as soon as possible, I gave in. "Just go. It's for the best. I want you all to be safe and here you aren't. Please, just go. I'll be alright I promise. They don't hurt me like they used to."

"No, I-" My dad insisted, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions.

"Go. I promise I'll be okay." I gave him a hug, remembering just how much I loved my dad's strong, protective bear hugs. He smelled of his familiar manly fragrance and he held the back of my head tenderly like he always did.

"I love you sweetheart. I don't want to leave you." He whispered.

"Why can't I go with them? Declan's dead." I turned to Harry, desperately not wanting to be separated from them again.

Glancing at the ground with slumped shoulders, Harry clenched his jaw slightly before looking at me again. "I'm not finished with you yet..."

"But you said that-" I began.

"Just let them go and come here!" Harry shouted, lifting his gun again.

I yelled at him angrily. "You bàstard! Are you going back on your word? Were you planning to keep me this whole time? Did you—"

"Shut the fûck up and let them go. I'll explain when they leave. I promise you don't need to be upset with me, because I'll let you go I just...need some time." Harry hissed.

Giving him a hurt glare, I kissed my father's cheek and gestured to the waiting car. I'd barely gotten to see them for two seconds before Harry was being the dîckhead he was and making them leave. It pained me to realize how easily I had given in to him, how I didn't even fight.

I took Caspian from my mom and hugged him tight, kissing his cheek. "I love you sweetheart. Mommy will see you soon okay?"

"Mommy no!" Caspian protested, clearly upset when he realized he was being taken away from me. He started struggling to be let down from my mom's arms as I tried to reassure him.

It was agony watching my family get into the car with Harry's random friend and drive away down the snowy silent street. Standing in the sheltered doorway so I wasn't on the snow, I shivered with cold and noticed the boys were all watching the car as well. Thankfully Harry had let Zayn stay behind.

"Alright everyone, let's get out of here. I've got another car further down the street." Harry said with clenched teeth as he held his leg briefly.

"Do you need help? Lean on me." Liam reached out and placed Harry's arm around his shoulders.

"I'm fine. Get off me you bàstard." Harry muttered, pushing Liam away roughly as the traitor attempted not to look hurt.

Instead, Harry pulled Niall over and leaned on him, letting the Irish boy help him stand. I noticed Liam looking from each of his friends to the other, but no one was paying any attention to him. Louis turned his back on him to make sure Harry was alright which caused Liam to have to step back out of the way.

With all of them distracted and not paying attention to me, I decided now was the time to act. I knew they weren't going to come back here and let the girls out, so I'd do it myself. I just needed to be careful in case there were any of Declan's men left wandering the halls. I slipped through the door and quietly sprinted through the building to the elevator, pushing the down button. As I stepped inside and watched the doors slowly close, I heard the boys shouting my name in worry. I caught eyes with Louis who was running toward me just before the doors shut.

They didn't need to worry. I would simply let the girls out and then we could leave. We hadn't seen a single soul since we left Declan's dead body upstairs, which meant any stragglers had probably left, seeing as they most likely didn't care as much about Declan's endeavors. I would just let the girls out and come right back up—it was as simple as that.


	53. Blood Sacrifices

My skin was cold, my feet numb. I was exhausted from lack of sleep and my stomach ached for nourishment. My face stung from being hit and my mouth tasted like come. Yet through every bodily struggle I was experiencing, my mind was still on high alert and ready to save every girl in these cells.

I snatched the keys determinedly and went straight to Naomi on my right, unlocking the cell. "Hey, Naomi. I've come back for you. I'm getting you out of here, okay?"

She looked up at me in a daze, her face a mask of misery. Her appearance was how I felt inside at Camp Harmony. I pushed the memories aside and knelt beside her, unlocking her chains.

"Come on. You're free now. Most of the guards have been killed." I told her, trying to help her up.

"Thank you..." She whispered, groaning as I pulled her to her feet.

She felt incredibly skinny, too skinny. Her eyes were dark and her lips were dry and chapped. The bruises littering her skin were harsh and ugly. I helped her out into the hall and let her lean on the bars while I hurried to the next cell. I wondered if Naomi would even have enough strength to walk out of here on her own.

As I helped the next girl out, I heard the door I came through open and I looked up. Relieved that it was only the boys, I continued and moved to the next cell.

"Seriously Scarlet, can you not just leave them here? We need to get out of here." Harry called in a shaky voice, still leaning on Niall. He clearly wasn't doing well and most likely needed medical attention very soon.

"Can you not just be human for once and see that it's wrong to sell people for sex?" I shot back harshly.

"Scarlet..." Harry sighed.

"I'm helping them out of here. I know what it's like having a man force himself on me and it's not fûcking pleasant so let me save them from going through the same thing I did!" I snapped at him sharply.

There was a short pause and Harry swallowed, slightly frowning at me. "You made your point. Go ahead."

"I don't need your permission." I responded, but was glad that he wasn't against it anymore.

Louis and Zayn walked toward me while Liam stayed back in the corner, a glum expression on his face as he stared into space. The two boys neared me and Louis held out his open palm while I struggled with the next lock.

"I can unlock them much faster than you. I'll unlock. You help them out." Louis said, not looking me in the eye.

Surprised, I hesitantly gave him the keys. He pushed past me and unlocked the cell easily. Raising his eyebrows at me in a knowing way, he went in and bent down to unlock the girl's chains. She shrank back against the wall in fear at the sight of Louis and started whimpering. Louis paused when she tried to get away from his hands.

Hurrying inside, I knelt down and attempted to calm her. "It's okay, he's going to let you go."

"Please don't ràpe me again!" She whispered at Louis in a hoarse voice as her body shook violently.

I turned to stare at Louis in horror. He gave me a genuinely guilty glance before hurriedly unlocking her chains and leaving the cell quickly. I helped her up and out of the cell. Then I went and waited for Louis to open the next door and he glanced at me before focusing on my mouth.

He carefully reached out and touched his thumb to the skin just under my lower lip. He rubbed a little before wiping his hand on his pants.

"What was that?" I asked him.

He caught my gaze before his eyes quickly darted away. "Nothing."

"Something on my mouth?" I asked, and then suddenly realized.

It was probably his come.

"Oh..." I breathed out uncomfortably, trying not recall the horrible incident, but it was rather difficult forgetting having someone's dîck forced into your mouth.

"I'm sorry..." Louis murmured, gesturing for me to enter the cell.

"He forced you. It's... I won't hold it against you." I told him quietly.

"I just...don't want it to ruin, you know...the progress I've made. I don't know really..." He stopped himself and moved on to the next cell.

I didn't know how to feel about what he said.

By now Zayn had found a second keychain and was unlocking cells from the other side. The girls who were strong enough to function helped the ones who could barely walk and soon we had opened almost all of the cells. There were only two left. The girls were extremely wary of the boys, because many of them had been taken advantage of by them.

Harry was sitting with Niall by his side who kept checking his wound. Harry's face was pale and he seemed to be struggling for breath. Liam's arm was bleeding from his own gunshot wound, but his seemed to only be a graze. He also was paying no attention to it as he stood out of the way staring at Harry and Niall with a crestfallen look. He'd tried apologizing a few times, but Harry simply flipped him off angrily and told him to fûck off. Liam had been entirely silent after that, looking solemn.

I gathered the girls near the far door and explained the exit route, but warned them that they should wait because there might be other men in the building.

Naomi gave me a weak hug and a glimmer of a smile. "I wish I could thank you somehow."

"No need. Just get out of here safely and I'll be happy." I hugged her back.

"Hurry up guys. Harry's fading fast. We gotta get him help." Niall called.

"Let him die." One of the girls muttered.

"Who's that?" Another asked, pointing at the other end of the hall.

Getting a bad feeling, I turned and looked. My stomach dropped and the air was knocked from my lungs. The boys hadn't noticed him enter the corridor from behind them.

Why wouldn't Declan Henrik just die?

"Guys!" I pointed fearfully and they all turned around.

Louis froze, dropping the keys, but then immediately began walking toward Declan determinedly. "I'm not completely disappointed to see you've survived because now I get to kill you myself. And this time I'll be taking the one good piece of advice you've ever had and make damn sure that you stay fûcking dead!"

"I'm not disappointed either, because now I get to watch all of you die." Declan returned, holding up a gun.

Louis raised his own gun that he'd picked off a dead guard, but it was swiftly shot from his hand and blown to splinters. Hesitating, Louis looked down at the destroyed gun at his feet. His hand went into his pocket and he pulled out a knife instead, but couldn't reach Declan from here. I hurried forward and stood by Zayn who pushed me behind him protectively. 

Niall reached for the gun he'd set on the ground, but Declan stopped him with a threatening gesture of his gun. Instead, Niall got up and began dragging Harry away from the insane man. Liam tiptoed backward as well until we were all huddled together, staring at the man who just wouldn't die. I heard the girls fleeing through the opposite door and prayed they would make it out safely.

Declan held up the gun, his other shoulder bleeding profusely and his eyes a mad pool of determined fury. "I'm not wasting time this time. The slût is going to die first."

"I don't think so." Harry growled, standing to his feet with great effort.

"Even if you stop me, which is unlikely, you'll all die anyway. My men rigged the building with explosives. It'll blow in just a few short minutes." Declan taunted, anything but amusement coating his tone.

"Let us go you crazy psycho!" Niall lashed out.

"Say goodbye to your pretty little fûcktoy." Declan tilted his head, a creepy grin on his face.

"I don't think so bîtch!" Liam shouted out of nowhere and lunged forward, punching Declan in the head and going in for a tackle, but Declan was faster.

A deafening shot rang out.

Liam's body slumped to the floor.

A dead silence followed.

"Liam!" Several voices yelled out at the same time.

Harry flung himself down beside Liam and touched his chest, lifting his hand only for it to be coated in blood. He placed his hand against the wound, which looked scarily close to Liam's heart and then lifted Liam's head to rest in his lap.

"Liam, you idiot. Why'd you have to go and do that?" Harry muttered in a shaky voice.

Liam's face was ghostly white and he was shaking, clearly in shock. His mouth opened to gasp in air as his eyes found Harry's. "Harry. I'm sorry Harry. I didn't mean...for this to happen I was only...trying to save everyone."

"We can talk about this later, just breathe. Stay with me. Stay awake. Don't close your eyes." Harry said urgently, cradling Liam's head.

We all stood staring in shock while Declan simply watched in satisfaction. Louis looked horrified while Niall appeared saddened. I held Zayn's hand tightly while Liam struggled for breath.

"I'm sorry, Harry. You seemed to have forgotten me. I meant nothing to you anymore, I was invisible and I wanted...to get your attention back." Liam stammered, his words short and quick, as if he were working hard to speak.

"Liam..." Harry hung his head so I couldn't see his face.

Liam gasped, and reached up, clutching Harry's shirt. "It was never supposed to be like this. I swear it, I only meant to save everyone and get our friendship back. Please forgive me."

I watched as tears slipped down the sides of Liam's face as he stared urgently up at Harry.

Harry's fingers dug into Liam's hair and he nodded slowly. "I do forgive you, mate. Of course I do. I should have been there for you...You're gonna be alright."

Liam shook his head.

I thought I saw a tear fall from Harry's eye and land in his lap, but I couldn't see his face.

Liam then turned to look at me and I've never seen him look so serious. "Scarlet. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. I'm truly...sorry. Please forgive me."

My mouth opened and closed when all the boys looked at me. "I..."

"Please." Liam begged desperately.

"I...forgive you." I murmured.

Liam let out a huge exhale of relief and looked back up at Harry, tears now freely streaming from his eyes. "Goodbye...mate. I'll miss..."

And then Liam's eyes closed and he went limp, his chest completely still. Harry shook him. He shook him again.

"No! Liam...Liam, Liam. No. I'm sorry. Please don't do this." Harry's voice broke and he bent over his friend's body.

"I can't believe it." Louis murmured in a defeated voice, staring blankly at Liam. His own eyes were wet, but he refused to let the tears fall.

There was a moment of silence—nothing but Harry's whimpered regrets could be heard.

Declan had been silently watching the whole thing, but when it was evident that Liam was not waking up, he smirked. "One down."

"Don't you fûcking dare touch anyone else!" Harry growled in pure hatred.

"You're broken, but not broken enough. I think it's finally her turn." Declan said, taking aim at me.

"No!" Harry screamed.

Inhaling sharply, I didn't have time to react. It all happened so fast. One moment I heard Declan's gun go off, and the next, Harry's body was in front of me. I gasped in shock as he collapsed to the ground at my feet with the bullet that was meant for me, in his chest.

Louis' scream of horror was terrifying as he dropped to the floor and grabbed Harry's face. "No I will not let this happen!" He roared in agony.

Harry's eyes were drooping closed, but he caught my eye and stared intensely for a second while he mouthed something I couldn't decipher.

Then his eyes closed.

He had just thrown himself in front of me to protect me from being killed. That wasn't the Harry I knew. He would never have put himself in harm's way for me before. I was completely stunned at what he'd just done for me. I didn't know what to think, or say, or feel. I hated Harry. So why did I feel almost...upset? My breathing wavered.

Louis was wildly trying to wake Harry up as he shouted every curse word in the books. Niall bent down as well while Zayn kept me away and blocked me from Declan's gun. Harry's hand which had been clutching Louis' dropped to the floor limply.

"No! Wake up you fool!" Louis bellowed, his voice crazed and his entire body shaking. "Niall! Do something!"

"I don't know what to do! I'm not a bloody doctor!" Niall returned, looking panicked and distressed as he yanked off his shirt and put it on Harry's wound, applying pressure.

Declan flipped his gun. "Two down. I've been thinking, Louis. Perhaps I will let you live and lock you back in your cage. I could take you out from time to time to fûck you like Matilda always did. That would be a fitting punishment I think."

Louis froze, his head lowering and a look of pure fury on his face. He clenched his fists tightly and stared down at Harry's body. All at once, his deadly gaze shot up at Declan and he leaped from the floor, lunging at him. Declan held up his gun and fired.

But he was out of bullets.

Louis whipped out his knife and ran at Declan, tackling him to the ground. "I'm going to kill you, you bloody fûcking cûnt!"

"No you won't." Declan only laughed, as he tried to punch Louis.

Louis dodged the hit and gripped the knife in his hands while keeping Declan pinned under him, jamming it downward deep into Declan's chest. "That's for Harry!"

Declan's body jerked and his eyes bugged out as he froze. He stared at Louis in disbelief.

"And this is for Liam!" Louis yelled as he raised the bloodied knife and stabbed him again, in a different spot.

Declan's head relaxed and his eyes focused above us, glazing over. Louis didn't stop though. He raised the knife again, and jammed it downward. "Make sure the person you kill is actually dead. I won't be forgetting that again."

Louis stabbed him again, and again, and again.

"Louis." I croaked, not wanting to look at the gruesome scene, but worried that Louis had lost his mind.

Louis repeatedly stabbed the lifeless body of his adoptive dad over and over again until I rushed over and knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. His gaze whipped over at me and I shrank back in slight alarm at his crazed appearance. Blood spattered his face and clothes and his angry eyes made him look psychotic. His muscles were clearly all tensed and he was shaking madly. He turned back to Declan.

I carefully touched Louis' cheek and he flinched. Lightly cupping his face, I made him turn to me again. "It's okay now, Louis. He's dead, he can't hurt you anymore. It's alright, look at me."

At my soft touch, he dropped the knife and stared at me as if waking from his trance. Gazing into my eyes, he leaned forward, grabbing me and wrapping his arms around me tightly. He'd never hugged me like this before. I didn't care that he was getting blood all over me. He didn't cry, he simply shook in my arms and breathed hard.

"Guys, we need to get Harry medical help, like right now. He's almost gone..." Niall broke the silence.

"He's still alive?" Louis' voice cracked as he pulled away from me and then helped me stand.

"Not for long if we don't leave right now. Plus, Declan said this building could blow any second." Niall said urgently, trying to lift Harry's unconscious body.

"Then let's fûcking save his life." Louis growled determinedly and hurried over to help Niall. "Zayn, carry Liam."

"But he's..." Zayn started and then trailed off when Louis gave him a frightening glare.

Watching the boys pick up Harry's lifeless body, I hurried to the end of the hall and quickly unlocked the last two cells and let the girls out.

"Get out of here as fast as you can!" I told them. They scurried out the door. 

As I ran down the corridor toward the boys, I double checked each cell to make sure I'd freed every girl. I noticed Louis had chained Declan's bloodied corpse in one of the cells. There was no possible way he could still be alive after being stabbed countless times in his torso—he was finally gone for good. 

Once at the end, I followed Louis, Niall, and Zayn as they carried the still bodies of Harry and Liam out the door and toward the elevator.

"Hurry, the building could explode any moment." Niall prodded us on.

"He was probably just bluffing." Zayn mumbled.

"Let's not take that chance." Louis stated glumly.

We were all silent as the elevator took ages to lift us up one floor. The second it opened we plowed forward and hurried through the silent halls with flickering lights and fallen bodies littered everywhere. Louis banged the exit door open and we all rushed out, running down the street away from the building. I barely felt the snow this time.

Mere seconds later when we were no more than twenty feet from the exit, there was a defeating explosion behind us. We were hurled forward onto the ground as the building exploded and became engulfed in flames. Debris scattered around us and I felt the heat from where I lay. I sincerely prayed none of the girls had tarried inside.

Stunned, I struggled to stand as did the rest. None of us were harmed since we landed on a blanket of soft snow and Louis continued to carry Harry down the street, hardly fazed by the earth shattering explosion. I glanced behind us now and then watching the horrid structure collapse and disintegrated, knowing that Declan was for sure dead this time.

We reached a jeep, and Louis was shaking violently as he got Harry into it and laid him down. Niall got into the driver's seat and stepped on the gas pedal the moment we all got into the car. Louis cradled Harry's head in his lap, twirling his curls around his bloody finger and biting his lip in worry.

We were all silent, knowing Liam was with us in the car, but he was no longer alive. And Harry could very easily follow if we didn't get him medical help in the next few moments. It was even a high possibility that perhaps he was already dead, considering how pale and ghostly he looked, but nobody wanted to say it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts!!


	54. Conflicted

The last hour had been a blur, as if I was walking through a hazy dream. Perhaps I'd been stunned more than I thought I had by the blunt force of the explosion earlier, or maybe it was because I'd seen so much blood leave Harry's body.

He was hooked up to stolen hospital equipment looking quite dead as several people worked relentlessly trying to keep him alive. The heart monitor was beeping incredibly slowly and I thought he was surely going to die. Although the strangers inside the room weren't real doctors, they seemed to know what they were doing as they performed surgery in the dingy old room of a deserted apartment building.

Louis was sitting by the wall, his hands covering his mouth as he watched anxiously. I was standing in the doorway, not fully in my right mind at this point. When the amateur doctors began talking quickly and moving faster over Harry's unconscious body, I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped.

"Come away, love." Zayn whispered to me, tugging me away from the stressful scene.

"He might die." I said.

"Don't you want that?" He asked.

Glancing back at the open doorway as I was led away, I frowned and murmured quietly, "Yes. I mean...no. I mean...I don't know anymore. I'm confused."

Zayn put his arm around my shoulders and we walked into an open space that used to be the lobby. The windows were covered with newspaper, the door was barricaded, and the light bulbs had been shattered so the area was dim and gloomy. The floor was covered in dirt and grime, signifying no one had been here in years.

"Why wouldn't you be happy to see him die?" Zayn asked me as he pulled me down next to him on a dusty couch. "After everything he's done?"

I settled in a comfortable position and looked down, noticing the blood on my dad's coat and my bare legs were red from the cold. But I hardly felt the cold anymore. I was almost numb after what happened.

"If he dies...he will have died to save my life." I spoke softly, still not believing it.

"Didn't think that would ever happen huh?" Zayn asked knowingly, but kept his voice down because he could sense my melancholy mood.

"It happened to you." I pointed out. "You changed."

Zayn glanced at his lap and bit his lip. "Yeah, I did."

"I just...never thought Harry could too, because I saw and experienced first hand the monster he was and I never saw the monster you were until he...showed me." My voice trailed off.

"You saw? Harry showed you?" Zayn asked in worry, turning to face me more.

Nodding, I watched his mouth open in horror. He looked extremely distressed that I saw the videos of him abusing girls. He ran his hands down his face and sighed deeply. I could see the regret and shame in his expression.

"Is that why you...seemed a bit distant and wary when I came to see you the first time?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, I just got nervous. I can't help it." I admitted.

"I never wanted you to see that side of me, because I'm not that person anymore." Zayn assured me sadly as he avoided my gaze.

He might not be that person anymore, but he still did all those things and hurt people just like Harry did.

"Do you ever think about having sex with me?" I asked him seriously.

Surprised by my blunt question, he frowned slightly. "Why would you ask that?"

"Just answer honestly. I want to know the truth so please tell me." I requested.

He scooted closer and made sure I was looking at him. "I do sometimes. I don't think I can help it. I love you more than anything and sometimes I just desperately want to be intimate with you. But I've never come across as desperate have I? I will never pressure you into anything."

He sounded worried so I reassured him. "I have never felt pressured. Although I've gotten the feeling that you want something more...a lot more, which is why I have to tell you something..."

"Tell me what?" He breathed, not liking my tone.

"I can't keep dragging you along with me. I'm a puddle of misery and you don't deserve that—to constantly have to comfort me and get me to stop crying or being depressed." I began, fiddling with the buttons of my dad's coat anxiously.

"I want to help you. After so much time of tearing women down I want to build you up and save you. I love you so much." Zayn told me honestly, taking my hand in his so I would stop fidgeting.

I felt too far gone by now. What was there left to save?

"The problem is...that I don't think I can give you what you want, Zayn. I don't think I can have sex with you. I don't want sex with you. I don't want it with anyone. I'm terrified of sex. I hate sex." My voice had become shaky and I felt myself tremble instinctually at the talk of intimacy.

I thought I was holding him back and I felt that I couldn't give all of myself to him. He didn't deserve that. I had to give him the chance to back out if he had ever been or would ever consider it.

His hand squeezed mine tightly as he touched my chin, lifting my face. He could see the turmoil in my eyes as he shook his head. "My love, I don't need sex in order to be happy. Just being near you and talking with you is enough. I love who you are and couldn't imagine being without you."

A tear slipping from my eye, I dropped my gaze and shook my head. "I'm holding you back...you could have so much more if you weren't running after me trying to keep me from drowning."

When I let go of his hand and started sliding his ring off my finger, he grabbed my hands quickly.

"Don't do this, Scarlet. I love you. I adore you. I don't want anything in this world except you and if you push me away because you think you're holding me back, I'll just come right back to you. I wouldn't ever stop pursuing you. You hear me? I don't care about the sex. I'm not Harry. I love you for you and you're all I want." Zayn was talking a mile a minute, pushing the ring back on my finger and clutching my hands tightly.

I tried getting my hands free, but he wouldn't budge. "But what if-"

"Shh. Just rethink this, please. Give it some time. If you tell me we have to part ways it will break my heart."

"And mine..." I whispered.

"Then please, keep that ring on your finger and marry me." Zayn stood up, leaning down and kissing my cheek before he quickly left the lobby so I couldn't give him the ring.

I was extremely conflicted, because I loved him so much. He made me happy. He had jumped right into my life to make sure I was okay after that summer and left his old life behind, only for me. He hadn't really shown signs of being like Harry and the others, but I know he used to be, because I saw him in the videos.

Something had been nagging at my mind ever since we left Harry's building after he had taken the bullet for me:

Harry had finally shown a clear sign of legitimately changing when he saved my life. So how could I not forgive him for everything if I easily forgave Zayn of his own sins? They were both equally guilty of the same things, yet I constantly found myself only willing to look passed Zayn's. Was that wrong?

•••

After some time by myself in the lobby bathroom, which was entirely disgusting from not being kept up, I spotted Niall looking around as I exited. When he saw me, he hurried over quickly.

"Harry's woken up accidentally and he's delirious. He keeps saying your name...I think you should come." Niall told me in rushed words, tugging at my arm.

"Weren't they just performing surgery on him?" I asked in surprise.

"He wasn't supposed to wake up, but seeing as this isn't a hospital, things aren't going to go perfectly. Come quick." Niall urged me.

I let him pull me along out of the lobby and down a long hallway. "Why are you still here? With them? I thought you were done with this life."

"I'm only here for you, really. Unfortunately I still care for them somewhat. I've known them for years and we were mates for so long, but I only escaped prison to help you." Niall responded.

"How long were you-"

"Shh. We're here." Niall shushed me when we came to the open door of the makeshift operating room.

The "doctors" were standing around, watching him and keeping an eye on his vitals. Harry was lying there, looking up at Louis and mumbling soft words while Louis' hand was rested on his friend's shoulder. I timidly walked forward, seeing bandages covering the bullet wound on is shirtless torso. Blood stained his skin and I wondered why they hadn't washed it off.

Louis looked up and saw me, coming over swiftly and taking my hand. He pulled me over to Harry's bedside and I stood there uncertainly. Louis let go of my hand. Harry's eyelids kept drooping, but when I came into view, he started breathing faster. He stared at me intensely.

"Scarlet..." he rasped in a hoarse voice. "I love you."

I opened my mouth to respond, but I had no idea what to say. I didn't want to comfort him did I? I hated him. I ought to just stab him with the tools next to me and be rid of him for good. But all I could do was stand and stare.

Harry's eyes twisted into agony and his chest rose and fell unsteadily. "I'm gonna die. But you don't care do you?"

I blinked, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on me, but still I didn't say anything.

"I am dirt aren't I?" Harry croaked out.

Confused, I frowned and felt Louis' body uncomfortably close behind me.

Harry whimpered, eyes glazing over, but he was clearly fighting to stay awake. His words were mumbled, slow, and barely intelligible. "My parents treated me like I was the dirt they walked on. They didn't care, didn't take care of me, pushed me around, made me fend for myself. I was the dirt on their shoes."

I didn't know where he was going with this, or if he even knew what he was saying because of how drugged up he was. The doctors kept whispering about how they needed to put him under again.

Harry continued, looking at me urgently. "Swore I'd never be dirt again. S'why I made our gang, so I'd be powerful; so I'd be on top. But now look at me, at what I've done to you. I'm still dirt, just in a different way."

He gasped in pain, clenching the rough blankets that covered his lower half and closed his eyes. The doctors rushed over, checking him to see if he could pull through. Louis pulled me away so they could have room to work and pulled me from the room, closing the door. Niall walked out with us and we all stood there silently.

"I didn't know what to say." I admitted, hugging myself.

"You could have said thank you." Louis murmured.

I looked at the ground, feeling overwhelmed and confused and conflicted.

"He might die. And it's because he saved your life. You'd be in there if it wasn't for him. I know he's done terrible things to you, but if you've been waiting for a miraculous moment of selflessness from him, that was it." Louis spoke seriously and then quickly turned and walked away.

"Do you care if he dies?" I asked Niall gently after a while of listening to the sound of voices inside the room.

"Course I do. I may not agree with everything he does, but he always had my back...besides when I betrayed him." Niall answered gravely.

"What will you do if he dies?" I wanted to know, leaning against the wall.

Niall lowered his head and shuffled his feet. "I've no idea. I've got no one left, besides Louis I suppose."

"No family?" I inquired softly.

He shook his head, avoiding my gaze. "My mum died when I got out of prison if you recall. I didn't have any family besides her."

Feeling sorry for him, I neared him and tipped his chin up so he'd look at me and not the floor. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll figure out something. I...I want to thank you for what you've done for me. You put yourself in prison, and nearly got yourself killed by Declan. And now you've...lost one of your friends, maybe two."

"Liam...he had it coming, but I didn't expect him to go like that. You do realize he got himself killed for you, don't you?" Niall asked me pointedly, saddened by the talk of his fallen friend.

"I...guess I hadn't really thought about it that way." I frowned, realizing he was right. Liam had risked his life for me and ultimately died to protect me and the others. I didn't understand, because it seemed to come out of nowhere.

"You've gotten into all of our heads. I hardly recognize Louis anymore. I don't know what you did, but he's completely changed the way he looks at you." Niall said, taking a deep breath and trying to hide his emotions to appear strong.

"I didn't think any of them would change, ever. But...I guess I was wrong." I said quietly.

Niall crossed his arms and glanced at the closed door where we could hear the voices growing louder and more urgent.

He swallowed hard and shifted on his feet. "I don't know if I want Harry to have another chance at treating you right. He's had more than enough. I really don't want him to die, but I don't want him to hurt you ever again either."

I pulled my father's coat tighter around me, feeling the soft fabric of Harry's suit jacket underneath brushing against my skin. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

So we waited. Harry hung on to the slim string of life that was keeping him alive and survived through the night. The doctors I learned were more of Harry's men stationed here to man a secret hospital for criminals. They said it was a miracle Harry had survived this long, due to the amount of blood loss and the shock of the injury he'd endured.

We were the only people in the building, inhabiting a few rooms with broken salvaged furniture. I slept with Zayn on a saggy bed on the second floor. We didn't talk about our earlier conversation, simply got into bed and held each other tight. I couldn't help my feelings for him, but I kept wondering if it was right to be with him. What would the girls he had abused say?

It was now the second day here in the apartment building and I was standing outside Harry's room watching him sleep. There were so many conflicting emotions running through me that I just wanted it to end. I didn't know what to feel concerning Harry. He had literally risked his life for me.

Louis exited the room and paused when he saw me standing there with my arms crossed. He had found me some clothes that were exactly my size. I suspected he stole them because I found a tag on one, but I decided not to say anything.

"How is he?" I asked.

Louis gave me a tired look and shrugged. "He's breathing at least."

I tugged at the strings of the pink jacket I wore. Louis came over to me and stood beside me, watching Harry as well through the open doorway.

"So, you're going to live with Zayn again after this?" Louis asked.

"Mhm." I hummed, but wasn't actually sure what I was going to do.

"S'expected." He shrugged again, leaning against the wall and pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I think I should go soon. My family will be worried and...Caspian needs me." I murmured.

Moving away from the wall, he turned toward me, blocking my view of Harry. "Stay until he wakes up. He'll want to see you again."

"But...maybe I don't want to see him." I blinked up at him.

Sighing deeply and rubbing the back of his neck. "Please, stay, Scarlet. I'm asking this time."

"So if I said no, you'd still let me go?" I inquired softly.

He looked at me, crossing his arms. "I guess so."

"Maybe I'll stay a little longer then." I responded and leaned back against the wall because I was uncomfortable with being close to him.

"Uh...by the way..." He scratched the stubble on his jaw. "About the other day...when Declan forced me to ràpe you again, I'm sorry-"

"It wasn't your choice, was it? Maybe it scared me a little and reminded me of what you used to do to me, but you wouldn't have done it if he hadn't made you." I told him gently.

Louis stared at me as though he couldn't fathom what I was saying. "You'd...forgive me then? I literally shoved my dîck in your mouth."

I chose to ignore his bluntness. "Are you genuinely sorry? For everything?"

"I am. For once in my life I am so sorry for hurting someone." He replied and I could tell he meant it. He rarely acted this serious.

I reached out and touched his arm, but withdrew my hand swiftly because of how unfamiliar the gesture was to me. "Then...I suppose I can forgive you...if you never hurt me again."

His piercing blue eyes bore into me as he stared intently, for once showing vulnerable emotions outwardly. I could tell I'd shaken him because he stepped toward me, but I was already with my back to the wall. I glanced to the side and moved a little in that direction, but he followed me hesitantly. His hand reached out and he caressed my cheek gently for a second.

"Louis..."

My words got caught in my throat when he moved forward, locking our lips together and holding my face in his hands. It wasn't forced or aggressive or cruel in any way. He just kissed me, his mouth a little rough, but his thumbs brushing my face softly.

My stomach twisted and I felt adrenaline shooting through me. My lips were moving with his, my eyes were closed, and I couldn't help feeling stunned as something foreign rushed through my body. When he pulled back and gazed down at me with heavy breaths, my eyes went wide.

We were both dazed and silent, overwhelmed by the power we just felt. I was unwilling to speak about what just happened and apparently so was he. I inched my way from between Louis and the wall and timidly glanced at him under my lashes. He simply gazed back, chest rising and falling rapidly.

We both turned to go opposite directions at the same time, slowly breaking eye contact and walking away from each other down the hall. I touched my lips, beyond confused at what the heck just happened. Slowly turning my head to look back at him, my face grew red when I found that he had turned back as well. And then I swiftly faced ahead and walked down the hallway.

I was unsure about everything right now. Louis, Harry, Zayn, even Liam. What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to react? My broken mental state was too vulnerable and delicate to handle all of these conflicting thoughts and emotions. Louis kissing me as if he were a normal human being and not the psychopath he's always been confused me even more. And what if Harry survived? How could I treat him differently when he practically gave his life for me, though he had abused and mistreated me ever since the day we met?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left!


	55. Forgiveness and Freedom

Louis, Niall, Zayn, and I didn't speak much as we remained in the dark rooms and halls of the apartment building during the next seven days that passed slowly. No one spoke of Liam after the boys buried him outside of town. We were all there and the boys said a few words, but were too grief-stricken to stay long. It was clear that they wished their mate was still alive—it didn't matter anymore that he had betrayed them. They wanted him back.

They had dug two graves that day.

We all expected Harry to die. He'd lost so much blood and gotten sick on the third day. Yet on the seventh day, he woke up fully and appeared stable. The doctors announced he would be alright. Louis had been overjoyed, not leaving his beside while he helped spoon feed Harry.

Zayn had stayed close to me, holding my hands and keeping his arms around me. He kept telling me he loved me and would never do anything to harm me. I knew he wouldn't, but he hadn't been so kind in the past. I continued to remember the videos—even having nightmares about them. Waking up beside him, I would panic until he convinced me it was just a dream and he wouldn't hurt me. I felt terrible, but I couldn't control it.

A few nights after Harry began getting better, I was about to get in bed with Zayn when there was a knock on the door. I tiptoed across the floor of the dimly lit room and opened the door, seeing Louis standing there. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced passed me at Zayn lying on the bed and then back at me.

"Harry's asking for you. We moved him to a room next to yours so he'd be more comfortable." He told me.

"What does he want? I was about to sleep." I replied, holding onto the door knob. Neither of us had mentioned our unexpected kiss.

"I dunno. He simply told me to come and get you, so it's what I've done." He raised an eyebrow and waited for me to leave the room.

I stepped out, shutting the door and walking with him to the next room over. "You seem to care about Harry a lot."

"I owe him my life. He was there for me when no one else was, so yeah, I do." He shrugged.

"Why not just hook up with him rather than girls? It'd solve so many problems." I suggested, just to see how he'd react.

"We're not gay, Scarlet. Obviously." Louis rolled his eyes and opened Harry's door.

"I'm just saying, you would never be tempted again." I raised my hands in defense while he scoffed at the preposterousness of the idea and pushed me inside, shutting the door.

Lifting my eyes, I spotted Harry who was lying on his back without a shirt, a white bandage near his heart. He looked at me without moving and I could see weariness and pain in his expression. There was only the old bed he laid on in the room along with a small table and a lamp. I was tired of staying in creepy criminal hideouts.

"Scarlet...love." He breathed.

"You wanted to see me?" I spoke up, stepping toward the end of the bed.

"I wanted to ask you something..." He murmured as though speaking too loudly would hurt him.

I waited for him to continue.

"I would like it very much if you would sleep with me tonight." He said quietly.

Biting my lip, I looked down at the floor. "Um...I don't think that's a good idea, with Zayn and all. I'm sleeping with him and-"

"Please. Just one more time. I need to be near you one last time. Please." Harry pleaded with me and it was a shock to hear him beg.

"I don't know..." I stammered uncertainly.

"I want to be close to you one last time and besides, it's not like I could do anything to you even if I wanted to. I can barely move I'm in so much pain." Harry pointed out, gesturing to his leg and torso.

"I...guess so. Let me just tell Zayn so he doesn't worry." I replied reluctantly, wondering why I had accepted. Maybe it was because I wasn't used to being given a choice—I simply felt the need to obey or be punished. And knowing how Harry could hurt me, I didn't want that to happen even though it surely wouldn't in this situation. It was just my damaged mind.

After I had come back, I hesitantly went to the other side of the bed and got on, getting under the covers. Harry moaned quietly and I looked over at him, seeing him scrunch his eyes shut.

"Try not bounce around so much." He whispered.

I carefully laid down, mindful not to touch him at all and blinked up at the white ceiling. I wanted to just leave and go back to Zayn, but for some reason I couldn't. He had tried to convince me not to sleep with Harry, because he didn't deserve an ounce of kindness from me. Yet here I was, following orders again. Perhaps it was because of why Harry was injured in the first place. Not only had he jumped in front of me, but I had shot him in the leg.

"Scarlet." He whispered.

Rather than responding, I remained silent and didn't move.

"Could you turn off the lamp?" He asked.

"I'd like it on." I replied quietly.

"But we have to sleep."

"I don't like sleeping in the dark anymore." I told him.

"Oh. It's fine then." He murmured, also lying on his back.

When I scooted around to get more comfortable I accidentally bumped him with my knee and he groaned.

"Fuuuck." He whined, squeezing his eyes shut. "That was my leg."

"Oh..." I watched him as he tried to ignore the pain. "I expected it to feel more enjoyable to shoot you than it did."

"Well I expected you to shoot me in the face, so I was overjoyed." Harry responded dryly, reaching over to the table and picking up some pills and a water bottle.

He popped the pills in his mouth and drank from the bottle greedily, letting water spill down his cheeks onto the pillow. He took a shaky breath and set the bottle down.

"Damn this is fûcking killing me." He rasped.

Not knowing what to say, or if I should say anything, I turned onto my side and cuddled my hands close to me for warmth. I watched a spider crawl up the wall for a while as I waited for Harry to go to sleep. But he kept moaning quietly and rearranging the blankets on top of him. Being extremely exhausted, my eyelids grew heavy and I wanted to fall asleep, but was afraid of the nightmares that awaited me.

"I love you." Harry murmured.

I didn't reply.

"Scarlet." He pressed and I felt his hand move under the blankets and touch my back.

"I'm tired, Harry." I whispered, grimacing as his fingers brushed up and down my shoulder blades.

"I made you a promise." He said quietly. When I didn't say anything, he continued slowly. "I told you when I got rid of Declan, I would let you go. And he's dead now."

Frowning, I hoped he wasn't thinking about keeping me longer like last time. I knew he was very well capable of deciding something so cruel. I rolled over so I could look at him and he was facing me, a solemn look on his face. He adjusted the blanket so it rested just above his hips, allowing me to see all of the tattoos on his torso.

"You can go, whenever you want. Tomorrow even. I won't keep you with me anymore and I won't kidnap you again." He said seriously.

Surprised, I nuzzled my head into my pillow. "Thank you."

"It's hard to think of what would have happened if you'd been shot instead. I figure you wouldn't have made it. He aimed for your head which is why it went into my chest." Harry said with no emotion.

"Are you fishing for a thank you?" I wanted to know, feeling as though he was.

He chuckled, but quickly coughed lightly afterward. "I mean. I did almost die for you. And this hole in my chest hurts like hell."

I had to break eye contact because he was staring so intently at me. "Thank you, for saving my life."

Harry's lips curled upward into a small smile. "I told you I'd learn how to show you I love you. Just like you told me all those summers ago: loving someone is putting them before yourself no matter what."

I nodded, confused again. Harry was normally an easy man to decipher, but now I didn't know what to make of his attitude and actions since being shot. He didn't touch me again through the night, only mumbled my name in his sleep. Though I didn't get much sleep because of my dreams and because Harry was so close, I had a lot of time to think. And I came to a few decisions before the morning.

•••

"Ready?" Niall asked me as we all stood by the back door of the apartment building.

"I don't have any belongings, so yes." I shrugged, feeling Zayn's arm wrap around my shoulders.

Louis was standing to the side, watching me. When he noticed my gaze, he looked as though he would say something. He took a small step forward, but when Zayn started saying something to me, he stopped. Instead, Louis pivoted and hurriedly strode away, disappearing around a corner.

I didn't know why I wanted to hear what he had to say. Everything had seemed to change after we were both tortured in Declan's basement. That strange bond that had connected us then, I somehow still felt it.

"Scarlet." Harry spoke from behind me, drawing my attention away from Louis' odd behavior.

I turned and looked at him sitting in his temporary wheelchair. He looked sad and exhausted. "What?" I asked.

"Goodbye..." He murmured.

"Let's go, love." Zayn announced.

"Wait-" Harry protested.

"You're not getting a goodbye kiss from her so get over it." Zayn snapped at him and guided me to the open door.

Harry looked after me emotionally. "I love you. You have to believe me."

I didn't respond, only stared at him blankly. He didn't deserve any kindness from me for what he's done...but again, he got himself shot for me. Why could I forgive Zayn and not Harry? I even forgave Liam and Louis.

As I left the building, I almost wanted to go back in, but I didn't.

We climbed into the car parked in the alley and Niall got in the driver's seat. He put sunglasses on and we took off, driving away from the building. I felt as though I should have said something to Harry, but what was there to say honestly? 'See you around. I won't miss your abuse and mistreatment of me. See you never!'

He already knew how I felt about him and I didn't think I owed him anything after what he did. But for some reason, I wanted more closure than I'd gotten. Everything just sort of...ended. Maybe I should have...no...I didn't owe him anything.

And Louis? I was confused about him and wished he had stuck around to explain what was going through his head, but I knew Louis. He wasn't the type to express his feelings. I had hoped to hear something from him...after all, we were both beaten close to death together for over a month.

Niall drove us through the town we were in. I had no idea where we were until we got onto the interstate and I saw signs for bigger cities near my hometown. At least we were still in Northern California. For a while I thought the boys had taken me to different states. It took several hours to get home and I napped in the back with Zayn. At one point I saw the sign for Camp Harmony along the freeway, but the letters had been torn down and there was graffiti all over it.

Some time later we entered my hometown and I became anxious to see my family again and Caspian. I hoped that man had taken them to safety like Harry said. I wondered if they were home. I was suspicious when Niall somehow knew exactly where to go and stopped a few blocks from my parent's house.

"How'd you know where my parents live?" I asked him, stretching out a little from the long car ride.

"We always knew where they lived. Since even before camp when we were researching everything about you. I know...it's creepy. Sorry." Niall looked away guiltily and let us get out before he also jumped out and came over to us. "I thought It'd be wise for me not to get close in case there are cops watching the house."

"Thanks for everything, Niall." I told him seriously and reached out, giving him a hug.

His body tensed a little before slowly relaxing into my embrace. We were standing beside a high hedge, so no one would be able to see Niall's face.

"What are you going to do now?" I asked as he pulled away.

"I don't know if I'll go back to prison...even though it's what I deserve. I know for a fact Harry and Louis won't go back to prison. I thought maybe I'd try straightening them out, which would be more redeeming than rotting in a cell." He raised his shoulders, seeming unsure as he watched me. "But I know I should go back to prison anyway..."

"I'm sure you'll figure out the right thing to do." I told him encouragingly.

"Anyway, my job is done. Declan's dead, Harry's let you go, and he won't be trying to get you back anymore. You're safe now." Niall smiled a weary smile.

I sighed a deep sigh of relief. "It doesn't feel real yet."

"It will. I won't be seeing you again, so this is goodbye forever." Niall began walking backward, swinging his keys around.

"Bye..." I waved and Zayn squeezed my hand.

"Oh, and Scarlet?" Niall spoke up. "Don't ever lose your strength. Anyone else in our shoes would have ended it all. You're an inspiration to the world."

"I don't know about that..." I smiled shyly. "But I'll keep it in mind."

He smiled at me one last time and then got into the car and drove away. With Zayn holding my hand, we strolled swiftly along the sidewalk of my parent's quiet neighborhood toward their house. I hoped they were all there safe and sound with police watching over them.

When we got closer, I spotted a group of people ahead. It didn't take long to see there was a mob of people outside my parent's house. They had cameras and microphones and were all talking at once. I hurried ahead, wanting to know what was wrong.

Someone amidst the mob spotted me and screamed, "Is that Scarlet O'Hara?!"

All eyes turned to us and once they saw me, they all hurried in our direction and swarmed us. I was ripped from Zayn and was left trying to fight my way through the sea of eager reporters. They were harmless, but that didn't stop me from coming close to panicking. They bombarded me with questions.

"How did you rescue over a hundred girls from sex trafficking?"

"Where were you these past five months?"

"Where is Harry and his gang?"

"Were you abused the same way you were during the summer of 2015?"

"How did you escape?"

Overwhelmed, I started feeling a panic attack coming, but then a hand clutched onto my arm and I was yanked in the direction of the house. Zayn pulled me through the mess of people while several police officers tried to hold them back.

"Move! Let them through!" A cop barked.

Once we broke through the reporters, we ran across the snowy lawn and I saw my parents standing on the porch.

"Scarlet!" My mom cried.

I embraced them both tightly, overwhelmed with this sudden relief that was released the moment I saw them. I was standing on their porch, in their arms, safe and sound. It was all so unreal.

Zayn and I were pulled into the house where the chief of police was standing in the entryway, surprised. Titus came running down the stairs while Caspian appeared around a corner.

"Mommy I wuv you!" Caspian shrieked, jumping into my arms as I knelt down. His curly head nuzzled into my cheek as I squeezed the life out of my little boy.

"I'm so glad you're safe. I promise I'll protect you better from now on." Titus promised solemnly. He'd grown up so much.

I hugged him next, who seemed quite distressed at my pitiful appearance, and we all stood there happily taking the scene in. When the chief tried to question me, my dad intervened, saying I could be interrogated later.

"I just need one question answered. Do you know where Styles and his gang are?" He asked me directly.

Pausing momentarily, I stammered. "I...I don't know."

"Miss, if you have any information at all, the police force will make a move on them immediately. It's all dependent on the information you give us." The chief said confidently.

"I honestly don't know where-" I began, but was cut off.

Zayn interrupted. "I know where they are."

"Yeah..." I murmured quietly, feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically overwhelmed as Zayn described the abandoned apartment building.

My dad put his arm around me comfortingly and kissed my head. I just wanted everything to go back to normal. I wanted to be engaged to Zayn, who used to be a saint in my eyes. I wanted to live in our apartment above the bakery and smell fresh bread every morning while I made Caspian breakfast and listened to his silly toddler babbling. I wanted to be going to school and working at my job. I wanted the boys to be in prison, out of sight and out of mind. But now....things were different.

I was afraid I would have to start all over like when I came home from Camp Harmony. Could I function properly like a normal human or would I suffer from PTSD for months or years or the rest of my life? I desperately wanted to believe that this time was different—this time, I would hit the ground running and not allow myself to fall into depression and fear.

When my parents carefully touched me and spoke in soft tones as if I would break, I wanted to be the girl they thought I had become. But then I'd remember everything that had happened to me and would remember that if I could survive being ràped, kidnapped, tortured, beaten, verbally abused, and treated like an object, then I could survive anything. I wouldn't just survive. I would persevere and not let my weaknesses become a stumbling block.

Once Zayn and I found ourselves alone with Caspian in my lap after dinner that night, I was turning the engagement ring over and over with my fingers. Caspian was asleep with his cheek pressed into my shoulder and his little body rising and falling steadily. Zayn knew what was coming, but he had been fighting it ever since the first time I tried to give the ring back.

"You know I love you, Zayn. But I've come to decide that I can't be with you, at least not right now. At this point, it's not the best thing for me. Though I've forgiven you for your past deeds, you still did those things. And I want to separate myself from everything having to do with the boys, because I think it would be good for my health..." I told him solemnly, as he watched me from his place on the leather couch.

His shoulders were slumped and his eyes sad, but he let me speak.

"And Caspian...I want to raise him in a good world far from anything as terrible as I've gone through. I don't want him to wonder why I chose to be with someone who committed the same horrific crimes against women as his biological father did against me." I said sadly, relishing the warmth I felt with Caspian's presence.

"And also...what I said before. I doubt I could be able to satisfy you...intimately. I just don't want to do that kind of thing ever again." I said quietly.

"I get it, Scarlet. It makes perfect sense, I just always thought you'd be with me forever. But I know I've done awful things and I see why you can't overlook it." Zayn whispered softly, accepting the diamond ring from my grasp.

"We can still see each other. I want to still see you. But for now, I don't think marriage is the best idea for us." I held his warm hand while he slowly came to terms with my decision.

"I promise I'll be available if you ever need me. I'll be close and I'll come the very second you call. The very millisecond in fact." Zayn assured me and I laughed, an unusual sound to hear.

Caspian stirred and I put my finger to my lips, smiling down at my son's closed eyelids. He had such lovely lashes and made such adorable sleeping noises.

"I've been leaning on others for support for years. Maybe now it's time for me to stand on my own two feet and fix up my life myself." I said assertively.

"So...you don't want me too close?" He inquired.

"Just give me a chance to be free, not that I wasn't with you... I want to figure out who Scarlet O'Hara is on her own." I said thoughtfully.

"She's a strong, fearless Greek goddess." Zayn winked mischievously. "I saw the way you tackled Declan the second you had the chance and rescued Caspian. You're a real badass."

I smiled at him, reaching out and cupping his handsome face. "I don't think I'll ever stop loving you. You've been so good to me."

"I don't think I will either. And if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you." He assured me.

I gave him one last kiss. It was hard, to end it all because he'd been so wonderful to me and I loved him, but I couldn't turn a blind eye to the fact that Zayn ràped countless girls and abused them just like the boys did to me. I couldn't have that in my life or Caspian's no matter if he changed or not. Frankly, Zayn deserved to go to prison, but I wasn't sure if he would turn himself in or not.

It had been expected that I would be engulfed in depression the moment I returned home, just like when Harry released me after Camp Harmony. But everyone kept me busy instead so I didn't have time to relive every horrid thing that happened to me.

I was almost immediately bombarded in the following weeks with interrogations by the police, demanding every little detail of the five months I was with the boys or in Declan's basement. They were particularly interested in how I managed to rescue every girl from Harry's main base of operations. They didn't believe I convinced Harry to let them go. They accused me of developing Stockholm Syndrome at certain points of my story, but I flat out denied it.

Apparently it had gotten out about how I rescued the girls, because whenever I went out, someone with a camera would find me and want to ask me questions. People passing me on the street would stare at me and I didn't understand why until I saw the news and saw my picture plastered everywhere. I didn't like how practically the entire West Coast knew about me and my horrid experience, but I guess they were inspired by me because countless gifts were left on our doorstep and they even built a little shrine saying thank you. I got letters in the mail from a couple of the girls' families that I helped escaped. Naomi had made it safely home and I couldn't be more relieved.

I moved back in with my parents until I could afford an apartment of my own. Zayn stayed in the Loft. Caspian enjoyed playing with his Uncle Titus and was overjoyed at having me home at last. He had certainly grown up tremendously in five months. Thankfully, he never mentioned "Daddy." Hopefully he would forget until the day I chose to tell him of why he'd been born on this earth. That was not a conversation I was looking forward to.

Even after a month, the police still hadn't apprehended Harry, Louis, or Niall. I heard nothing from them and was glad of it. But I kept having this nagging thought that I needed to have one last conversation, for closure. I felt that something had been left unsaid. Maybe it was the fact that I had forgiven all of them except Harry...

The police had people watching over me for a long time, making sure I wouldn't be kidnapped again. When it was clear I was safe, they let up on the 24/7 surveillance.

I started my job again and registered for classes for spring term. My dad even encouraged me to go see my therapist again. This time I didn't fight the idea. I genuinely wanted to be okay for Caspian. I wasn't going to let my anxiety or depression get in the way of mothering him. I was going to make sure I got through this, even though I had regular nightmares and occasional panic attacks.

I fought for myself. I wasn't going to go down, no matter what had happened to me.

My parents even learned how to treat me like a human being instead of a broken doll by going to a therapist themselves. And that helped things greatly. It wouldn't always be easy, but I felt that I was going to be alright eventually.

A few lasting signs of the abuse were my scars and Harry's tattoo. Eventually I'd get rid of the tattoo, even though it had proven to be helpful at times. But the scars...they would be there forever, though I prayed they would fade. I reminded myself of what Zayn told me, that they were a sign of my enduring strength.

My manager took me back at the diner in a heartbeat, probably only because he'd watched the news and seen everything that happened, but still. I was just getting off my shift for the day, clocking out at 4:30 PM and I grabbed the trash to dump on my way out. I waved to my coworkers and stepped out the back door, walking towards the dumpster on the opposite side of the alley when I stopped in my tracks.

I had a strange moment of déjà vu when I spotted Louis leaning against the brick wall, tossing a knife into the air. He was looking at me and when we caught eyes, he moved away from the wall and stuck the knife into his pocket.

"What are you doing here?" I stammered.

He paused, eyeing me curiously. "You're not gonna scream? Run away? Call for help?"

"We both know you're not going to hurt me anymore." I said softly.

He glanced awkwardly to the side, straightening his leather jacket. He didn't appear cheerful and mischievous like he once did. He was somber and serious this time. "I've come to tell you that...I won't be seeing you anymore."

"...what do you mean?" I inquired, wondering why he wasn't worried about being seen by passersby.

"Your presence...it's like a drug. I'm addicted you, sort of like Harry but I...I think I genuinely love you. Which has never happened before. You sort of saved me really. I woke up...saw that I had turned into my abusive adoptive parents. I want to be good like you. You're like an angel." Louis blurted out, stepping toward me and speaking seriously.

"Louis..." I whispered, dropping the trash bag and crossing my arms.

"You might not believe me, but I'm serious. I've decided to go back to England so I won't be tempted by you. And I give you my word...which probably doesn't mean much to you, but I'll give it to you anyway; I promise not to lay a hand on a woman like I have to you, ever again." Louis vowed, staring me straight in the eye.

Moved, but wary of putting full trust into his words, I pursed my lips. "I'm holding you to that promise, Louis. Don't make me regret the day I forgave you for hurting me."

Louis nodded, stepping forward. "This is the last time I'll probably ever see you, Scarlet."

He leaned toward me as if to kiss my cheek, but I placed my hands on his chest, stopping him. "Louis...let's not go there, okay?"

Moving away, he cleared his throat. "Right. And I won't force you...never again."

Staring back at him, I remained motionless and unbelieving of the stranger who stood before me. I didn't recognize him anymore—he was completely different from the Louis I met at camp.

He turned and began walking away, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt under his leather jacket up. Facing me one last time, he gave me a small smile that was more real than any smile he'd given me.

"Thank you for giving me a chance even though I didn't deserve it in the least. You'll never know what that did for me." He murmured gently.

"Oh, and I by the way your fly was down this whole time. Nice pink panties." He winked and then ran down the alley.

Blushing, I looked down and fixed the zipper on my jeans, glaring at his retreating form.

"Hey Scarlet, who were to talking to?" My coworker, Bryan, asked.

"No one." I answered, tossing the trash into the dumpster and heading for my car. I was glad Louis had told me what he did. It seemed he genuinely wanted to be a better person; I just hoped he had the strength to actually do it. I felt more at ease, knowing he would be traveling to England where he belonged, far from me.

On Saturday, I brought Caspian to the park and let him play on the play structure carefully while I made sure he didn't fall off. It was still snowy and the structure was a bit icy so I only let him play on the lowest parts of it. His little cheeks were rosy red and his breath fogged through the air faintly, but he had the biggest dimpled smile on his face and the most adorable delighted laugh.

The neighborhood was white with several inches of snow and more was coming down. We were the only ones out this afternoon so I didn't expect to see a figure on the edge of the park looking our direction. Doing a double take, I sucked in a breath at the sight of the tall slender form, a beanie atop his curly head.

Why was he here? Didn't he know the police were searching everywhere for him? I reminded myself that I didn't care if he was caught anyway. Harry trudged through the snow toward me until he was a few feet from where I stood. He adjusted the scarf around his neck and stared at me closely.

"I expected to have to chase you down again." Harry spoke softly.

"I guess I believed you when you told me you'd let me go. I don't think after everything, that you'd kidnap me again." I shrugged and turned my attention to Caspian, making sure he was being safe.

We stood there in silence for a moment while Caspian ran around squealing in the falling snow. He tripped and fell face first into the white powder, but he got up quickly and smiled over at me. When he spotted Harry he yelled out, "Daddy!"

He came running over, but I caught him and turned him back to the playground. "Go play sweetheart."

He promptly forgot about Harry and waddled back to play.

"Will you ever let me see him?" Harry spoke up longingly.

"I...don't know." I murmured, confused.

"That's bigger than I expected." Harry admitted, standing stiffly. "I just...wish you'd let me see him."

"I don't think that's the best idea." I shook my head.

"Scarlet, love. Look. I didn't think much of him before, because I was mostly just surprise to have a son. But then...I started thinking. What if someone kidnapped him and treated him the way I've treated you? I would take that person and cut them into tiny pieces before burning them in a furnace. And then I realized...I'm that person. And I...I'm sorry for it."

Thinking about what he said, I frowned as Caspian began throwing little handfuls of snow into the air. I didn't know what to think.

"How about this...I will make you a promise, Harry. If I see you turn your life around. If you never go back to your old ways, I might consider it. But if you ever lay a hand on any woman without consent again, I will make certain that you never see my son for as long as I live."

Harry gazed at me for a moment before he gave me a half smile. "That's also more than I expected. But okay...I'll go with it."

A silence fell again between us. I didn't exactly know what to say to him and I didn't particularly want to say anything anyway. But then he spoke up again.

"I've never felt remorse in my life until I met you." Harry told me thoughtfully.

"Never?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm a psychopath. I enjoy other's pain. I don't feel emotions. I don't feel empathy. But...that all had seemed to change when I met you. You slowly started making me...feel. And I was afraid of it. I've never been afraid of anything before so I fought against it. I denied it because it hurt when you hated me." Harry told me seriously, his voice steady, but hesitant.

So Harry was officially a psychopath. He'd said it himself. I was surprised that he was telling me something that made him so vulnerable. The fact that he was being so open and vulnerable made me believe he was being honest. I turned to him to find that he was staring at me.

"I've always known that what I do is wrong, but I never cared. But now I care. You make me care." He said slowly.

Confused, because he was acting like a decent human being, I looked away. I just didn't want to forgive him because he had hurt me so badly.

"Scarlet...say something." He whispered, coming closer.

"I hate you." I said, my eyes blurring with tears. "You've hurt me worse than anyone should ever be hurt. You've done so many things and I... I don't know why I can forgive everyone but you."

Harry came closer, and then at the corner of my eye I saw him lower to the ground. I watched him kneel on the ground at my feet, his knees disappearing into the wet snow. I stood staring at him, not believing what I was seeing. My mouth parted.

"May I take your hand?" He asked gently.

Curious, I held my gloved hand out even though I didn't want him to touch me. He took it, feeling my ring finger and noticing there was no ring there any longer. He only gave me a questioning look before clearing his throat.

"Scarlet O'Hara...my only love. I swear to you that I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. For taking your innocence, and then taking advantage of you countless times, for hitting you, for allowing my friends to hurt you, for kidnapping you, for saying every horrible thing I've ever said to you. I will never hurt you again and I will never touch you without your consent again. I promise. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I crave it because I love you more than anything in the world."

He stood up, keeping my hand in his while I looked at the ground and tried to stop my tears. I was so conflicted because I was so emotionally bruised by Harry. My mind was so terribly hurt by him and maybe that's why it was so difficult to accept his heartfelt apology. I should be glad for how far he had come since that afternoon I had met him in my cabin at camp. But what he did...it was sick.

"Harry..." I murmured, wiping my cheeks and finally able to look him in the eye.

He was staring intently down at me, anxious for my response. His eyes so closely resembled Caspian's that I knew I'd never be able to forget him no matter how hard I tried. So I made a decision. I needed to do this so that my mind could be free of the hurt and years of constant open wounds.

"I can forgive you. But in this case, forgiving and forgetting isn't an option. I will never forget and you will never be a part of our lives, but you can leave me...knowing that I've forgiven you..." I whispered, watching as his anxious expression changed to calm relief.

"You don't know what that means to me, love." He breathed, squeezing my hand once more. "I love you, Scarlet. You've gotta believe me now, I mean I practically died for you. What more proof could I possibly give you?"

Tilting my head at him, I thought about it. He pulled his lip between his white teeth and gazed intently at me.

"I suppose you're right..." I whispered softly.

He let go, giving me a sad smile and backed up a step. "I'll stay away from you; might even go back to England with Lou. You won't see me again unless you say I can see Caspian."

"Thank you." I nodded gratefully.

"I love you." He told me once more and began backing away, looking between me and Caspian.

I didn't return his words, only folded my arms to warm myself up. Harry's eyes had turned red and just before he turned away I thought I saw a tear fall down his cheek. He trudged through the snow back to his car.

As I listened to the sound of his car engine move down the street out of hearing range, I turned my face to the sky. Relief flowed through my wounded body and I felt like a million weights had been lifted from my shoulders. As tears rushed down my cheeks, Caspian ran to me and flung his arms around my legs.

"Mommy's sad." He spoke up.

"No, no Mommy's not sad. She's happy." I bent and picked Caspian up and twirled him around. "Mommy's happy!"

Caspian's frown turned into a grin and he giggled happily. I started tickling him and he shrieked, squirming from my arms and running away. I chased after him and he ran around in circles, trying to throw snow at me but he wasn't very coordinated yet so his attempt was adorable.

And that's where we spent the rest of the afternoon, playing in the snow and I hadn't been so happy in such a long time. My heart was bursting with unfamiliar joy. It was just me and Caspian—just how it should always be.

 

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end. Omg what did you all think of the ending? 😭😭😭
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone for reading this story and supporting me by commenting nice things!
> 
> If you have any questions about the story itself, I'll try to answer them.
> 
> There will not be a third book or an epilogue, sorry.
> 
> Feel free to check out my other stories. I'm @BlankSpacesOfTime on Wattpad. Well, this was one intense journey and I'll miss writing these stories, and so now it's time to say...
> 
> See you in my other books 😏😏😏


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